In Productivity By Ziemek 01 September 2026

The hardest part, hitting it again when your hand already hurts

The hardest part, hitting it again when your hand already hurts! So, what does this have to do with work?

Last week I was at my kid’s Taekwondo grading.

One of the events is breaking boards.

It’s simple; hit a board hard enough and it breaks.

So you try.
Hit once and it doesn’t break.
Hit again, it doesn’t break.

At this point your hand is already hurting. You start to question your capability.

Eventually, you hit the board and it breaks!

That’s your breakthrough moment!

You realize that all the while you were making progress and that you are capable of overcoming hard things.

Similarly at work.

You face challenges.

You do difficult things; you try to make progress.
It might not feel like you are making progress, but …

Your breakthrough might be one more attempt away!

If you are a software engineer who is struggling at work, book a call with me. I’m a coach that helps engineers reach their next career breakthrough!