Online Reporter
Rutendo Gwatidzo
Changing Perspectives
This past week I had an experience that I could not resist sharing.
The boardroom was tense. A senior executive sat across from his CEO, explaining why the department had slipped back into chaos after a promising turnaround.
New systems had been introduced, leadership had been coached and accountability structures had been tightened yet, the team quietly reverted to the very behaviours that previously crippled performance.
With frustration folds on his forehead and a deep voice, the CEO leaned back and said, “We can’t keep going back to what broke us.”
His words landed with weight because they cut across more than performance metrics, they spoke to human behaviour.
Whether in organisations, relationships, or personal choices, people often return to patterns that once made them sick simply because they are familiar.
Today’s article draws from a Bible verse in Proverbs 26:11 which says “as a dog returns to its vomit, so is a fool that repeateth his folly.”
When life has shown you that something is toxic, unproductive, or destructive, going back is not loyalty, it is self-sabotage.
Familiar but Harmful: The Trap of Returning to What Once Hurt You
Human beings are creatures of habit. We gravitate toward what we know, even if it weakens us. Old relationships, environments or habits carry emotional memory, and emotional memory can be dangerously persuasive.
But the truth is simple, what once broke you can break you again if things are not done differently. Growth requires courage. And courage demands that we make the hard call which is to walk away from what drained you, disrespected you, derailed you, or diminished you.
Organisational Status!
In corporate environments, “eating your vomit” shows up as regression in the form of returning to broken leadership styles, outdated performance management, and crisis-driven operations just to mention a few. You probably see it when organizations implement new reporting structures but revert to informal communication.
You also see it when new talent strategies are launched but old favouritism patterns creep back in. In other instances, you see it when teams abandon well-designed systems and fall into old habits because “this is how we’ve always done it.”
Let us look at organisational culture
Leaders who build resilient organisations understand that regression is the enemy of excellence. Cultures thrive when leaders state expectations clearly, enforce standards consistently, communicate accountability boldly and rive continuous improvement just to mention a few. Culture is not shaped by intentions; it is shaped by consistency.
Growth-minded organisations choose evolution over nostalgia. They confront outdated thinking, retire ineffective systems, and nurture teams that move with agility. They don’t just implement change; they sustain it.
Kwame Nkrumah captured the cost of stagnation when he said, “Our responsibility is to chart a new course.” Returning to failed models is the opposite of leadership.
Organisations that thrive treat growth as non-negotiable, not optional. They build new frameworks and reinforce them relentlessly. They confront unproductive patterns quickly and decisively.
And most importantly, they refuse to slip back into practices that previously weakened culture, performance, or morale. In other words, strong institutions never recycle dysfunction.
Break Cycles That Steal Your Future!
The most dangerous cycles are the ones you justify. They can be old habits, hurts, excuses or environments. You know they drained you, yet somehow they try to convince you that “this time will be different.”
Julius Nyerere once said, “No nation has the right to return to what kept it backward.” The principle applies to individuals too: no person has the right to return to what once diminished them, especially when they know better. Returning to toxic patterns dilutes your confidence and undermines your evolution. Backward loyalty is the greatest enemy of forward momentum.
Some of the common traps include going back to people who never valued you simply because you miss familiarity, repeating mistakes you’ve already healed from or reopening doors you closed for good reason. Others may find themselves re-engaging habits that once stole their time, energy, and clarity or taking opportunities that look shiny but drain their peace.
Breaking the Pattern!
You owe it to your future to protect your progress. Here are some strategic ways to ensure you don’t regress:
Own the truth: Name the pattern honestly. You can’t change what you won’t confront.
Track your triggers: Understand what pulls you back be it fear, loneliness, pressure, comparison or comfort.
Codify your boundaries: Set rules that protect your progress and guard the jealously.
Replace, don’t just remove: Replace old habits with empowering routines. Replace old influences with forward-thinking people. Replace distractions with vision-aligned action.
Evaluate your environment: Growth requires supportive surroundings. If the room is too small for your next level, exit the room.
Strengthen your accountability structure: Just as organisations have governance systems, you need people who hold you responsible for your growth journey.
Honour small victories: Every time you refuse to go back, you reinforce your maturity and sharpen your identity, celebrate victory as you go.
Your Future Deserves Better Than Your Past!
The past will always try to pull you back not because it has power, but because it has memory. But, destiny is built on decisions, not memories. The most important decision you can probably make is to stop returning to what once poisoned your peace, focus, confidence, or potential. Never eat your vomit!
Rutendo Gwatidzo is a human capital executive and managing consultant at The HUB HR Consultancy. She is a multi-award winning leader, speaker and coach. She is also an author of Born to Fight and Breaking the Silence books. Contact details – 0714575805/ [email protected] / Rutendo Gwatidzo_Official FB public page.
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