If It’s True That When You Don’t Use It, You Lose It…

A very common expression that you’ve probably heard before is “if you don’t use it, you lose it”. 

It’s most often used with reference to things like physical ability (you don’t stay strong and flexible if you don’t actively try to get stronger and stretch), skills that you have (like speaking another language or playing an instrument), and even good intentions (you want to eat healthy or go to church, but the longer you don’t do it the harder it is to get back into doing it).

And if that’s true, which I believe it is, then must it also be true that when you use something a lot, you get more of it?

Of course it is! But the reason I bring it up is because it highlights that there are two directions of growth: Maintenance and improvement. 

Maintenance helps you keep your current capabilities. It’s the side of “if you don’t use it, you lose it.”  

It’s necessary because the natural direction of growth is regression. If we don’t use a muscle, it atrophies. If we stop playing a guitar, we can’t pick it up and play with the same fluency as we used to. Taking proactive action toward maintenance helps to offset decline and keep things where they’re at.

Improvement is all about expanding upon your current capabilities. It’s the side of “if you use something a lot, you get more of it”. It’s why lifting heavier weights leads to muscle growth, and deliberate practice improves a skill. 

I bring this all up because when you think of the direction of growth, there are actually 3 options: Move forward, stay the same, or slip backwards. Slipping back is the only passive process - staying the same and moving forward both require effort (just different amounts of it). 

This is why it’s very important to be thoughtful about what you want in this season of life. If you’re being challenged or want a challenge in one area of your life, understand the commitment required to improve. 

If it’s not time to improve something but you don’t want to lose it, make your commitment sustainable. This makes you less at risk of regressing because you don't take on something that can’t be maintained, and therefore you're not overcommitted and headed toward burnout.

It takes courage to desire improvement and push yourself, as well as humility to accept that now’s not the time for it. It’s that level of self-awareness and self-regulation we all need to embody as we seek to make our dreams and missions a reality.