Progress Doesn’t Wait for Permission

If you’ve spent any time in the Olde English Bulldogge breed, you’ve seen it.

The disagreements. The debates. The divide in opinions on what’s right, what’s wrong, and what direction things should go.

Some people see that division as a problem. Something that needs to be fixed. Something that means things are falling apart.

I don’t see it that way.

Every breed that has ever become established, respected, and consistent has gone through this exact phase. The push and pull. The different visions. The disagreements on type, structure, health, purpose.

That’s not failure. That’s pressure.

And pressure is what creates progress.

There’s this idea that in order to move forward, everyone has to agree. That we all need to get on the same page before anything meaningful can happen.

But that’s not how growth works.

Growth is uncomfortable. It challenges what’s been accepted. It forces people to question what they’ve always done. And naturally, not everyone is going to be on board with that.

Some people will lean in.

Some people will dig their heels in.

And that’s where things start to feel messy.

But messy doesn’t mean broken.

It means something is shifting.

The mistake happens when we spend too much time trying to pull everyone along. Trying to convince. Trying to smooth things over. Trying to get full agreement before taking the next step.

Because the truth is, not everyone wants to move forward.

Not everyone sees the same vision.

Not everyone is willing to evolve.

And at some point, continuing to drag that weight behind you doesn’t just slow progress… it stalls it completely.

It’s like trying to walk forward while pulling someone who has planted themselves on the ground, arms locked, refusing to budge. You can put all your energy into trying to move them, or you can make the decision to keep walking.

One keeps you stuck.

The other moves things forward.

That doesn’t mean division is the goal. It doesn’t mean burning bridges or creating unnecessary tension.

It means recognizing reality.

It means understanding that growth doesn’t require unanimous agreement.

And sometimes, it means being okay with the fact that progress will happen in separate directions before it ever comes back together.

And truthfully… it may never come back together. And that’s okay.

Not everything is meant to.

Different programs will prioritize different things. Different visions will take shape. And over time, those paths will either prove themselves… or they won’t.

But forcing everything to stay together just for the sake of unity doesn’t create progress.

It creates stagnation.

Because here’s the part that often gets overlooked…

Time has a way of sorting things out.

Over time, the direction that truly benefits the breed becomes clear.

Not because everyone agreed from the beginning…

…but because the results spoke for themselves.

So no, division isn’t always a bad thing.

Sometimes it’s necessary.

Sometimes it’s the growing pains that push things forward.

And sometimes, the most productive thing you can do isn’t to keep trying to get everyone on board…

It’s to stop waiting for permission and move forward anyway.

-Kayce Lessman

Sokota Bulldogges