You're Running, But Where? 7 Signs You're in First Gear (And How to Get Back Behind the Wheel)

by Kevin Thibault

    When Outward Success Masks an Inner Battle. Does This Affect You?

    Marc starts his day at 5:30 a.m. Black coffee, a barrage of emails, and meetings that last until 10 p.m. His business is a success, his social media is booming, and his peers admire him. Yet, as he closes his computer each evening, a nagging question resurfaces: "Is this really what life is?"

    If this scene resonates with you, you're not alone. You may be experiencing what I call "first gear" : that frantic race where you operate in survival mode, disguised as success. This is the realm of toxic productivity.

    After helping hundreds of entrepreneurs and creators break free from this cycle through my projects Humain Ă  Tout Faire and Kallok's Arts , I've identified 7 warning signs. These are signs I ignored for years before realizing that another, more aligned and sustainable path was possible.

    Signal #1: The Perpetual Race Against Time

    • What you're feeling: Your schedule is perfectly timed, but you have this constant anxiety about being late. Time is slipping through your fingers. Every completed task is immediately replaced by three more.

    • What this reveals: You operate in reactive rather than intentional mode. Your energy is scattered in urgency, at the expense of importance. You are the firefighter of your own life, constantly putting out fires instead of building your dream home.

    Sarah's breakthrough: A digital marketing entrepreneur, Sarah was juggling 47 clients and a family life. "I slept 4 hours a night and prided myself on my 'endurance.' Until the day my 6-year-old daughter said, 'Mom, you're always in a hurry.' That simple sentence shattered my 'super-entrepreneur' armor."

    In first gear, you confuse hustle and bustle with accomplishment.

    Signal #2: The Impression of Stagnation in Intensity

    • What you're feeling: Your days are intense, stressful, and full to the brim. Yet, at the end of the week, you feel like you haven't made any significant progress. It's the same old story playing over and over again.

    • What this reveals: You're caught in the "empty productivity" trap. Lots of action, little real transformation. Activity is not progress.

    When I realized that my 70-hour weeks weren't bringing me closer to my vision but rather further away from it, creating more frustration than fulfillment, I began to question this mechanism. In low gear, we fill time instead of sculpting it.

    Signal #3: Total Disconnection from Your Body

    • What you feel: You only notice your fatigue when you collapse. You eat in front of your screen without tasting anything; you move for the sake of movement, not for the sake of feeling. Your body is a tool, not an ally.

    • What this reveals: Your mind has taken complete control, cutting you off from your bodily intelligence. Your body is your primary compass. It knows long before your mind does when a boundary has been crossed.

    David's electroshock: "I realized I'd lost touch with my body when my physiotherapist showed me I'd developed scoliosis over 18 months from slouching over my desk. My body was screaming, but I'd turned it off."

    In first gear, the body becomes a mere vehicle to be "hacked" rather than a partner of wisdom to be listened to.

    Signal #4: Relationships That Have Become Transactional

    • What you're feeling: Even with loved ones, conversations revolve around logistics, projects, and "problems to solve." You talk about maximizing the weekend instead of simply enjoying it.

    • What this reveals: You're applying "performance" and "efficiency" mode to your intimate sphere, where it doesn't belong. Human connection requires a presence that low gear can't provide.

    Julie's realization: "My husband said to me one evening: 'I feel like I'm talking to the CEO version of you, never to my wife.' That's when I realized I had imported my first gear into my relationship."

    You are physically there, but emotionally and mentally absent.

    Signal #5: The Systematic Sacrifice of Your “Fuel”

    • What you feel: Reading a novel, walking in nature, drawing, meditating, doing nothing... Anything that truly nourishes you is relegated to the "when I have time" category.

    • What it reveals: You're sacrificing your rejuvenation for the sake of productivity. It's a vicious cycle: the less you rejuvenate, the more exhausted you become, and the more you feel like you don't have time to do it.

    The irony? These moments aren't wasted time. They're the most profitable investment for your creativity, clarity of mind, and long-term effectiveness.

    Signal #6: Decisions Guided by Fear or Outside View

    • How you feel: Your choices are motivated by what "must" be done, what others expect, or by the fear of missing out on an opportunity.

    • What this reveals: You've lost touch with your inner compass. Your core values are drowned out by the noise of external pressures (society, industry, family, etc.).

    Thomas's dilemma: "I agreed to a lucrative partnership that went against everything I believed in. When my coach asked me, 'Why?' I realized the real answer was, 'Because I was afraid to say no.' I didn't even know what I wanted anymore."

    In first gear, you become a satellite that reacts to the outer planets, instead of being your own sun.

    Signal #7: The Feeling of Playing a Role

    • What you feel: A subtle but permanent gap between who you are deep down and the image you project. A weariness that isn't physical, but existential.

    • What it reveals: This is the ultimate signal. You're performing your life instead of living it. You've become the lead actor in a play for which you didn't write the script. This dissonance is the deepest source of exhaustion.

    ⚡ Express Diagnosis: Are You Stuck in First Gear?

    Rate yourself from 0 to 5 for each signal (0 = never, 5 = constantly):

    1. Race against time: ___/5

    2. Intense but stagnant routine: ___/5

    3. Body disconnection: ___/5

    4. Functional relationships: ___/5

    5. Postponement of resourcing: ___/5

    6. Externally dictated decisions: ___/5

    7. Feeling of playing a role: ___/5 Total: ___/35

    Your Result:

    • 0-10: You maintain good balance. Continue to cultivate this awareness to avoid tipping over.

    • 11-20: First gear often engages. It's time to create safeguards to protect your energy.

    • 21-30: You are mostly in first gear. Your well-being and creativity require a major overhaul.

    • 31-35: Red alert. You are in permanent overdrive. It is urgent to act to regain your alignment and vitality.

    The Devastating Impact of First Gear

    This mode of operation is not without consequences.

    • On your creativity: It's suffocating. Innovation is born from emptiness, play, and constructive boredom. Low gear eliminates these spaces and condemns you to repeating the same patterns.

    • On your relationships: Empathy is eroding. "Next task" mode makes you impervious to emotional nuances, creating superficial relationships and a sense of isolation.

    • On your health: Chronic stress becomes your default state. It impacts everything: your immune system, sleep, digestion, and hormonal balance. It's the ultimate road to burnout.

    • On your impact: Paradoxically, you're becoming less effective. You don't change the world by burning out. Your greatest impact comes from living your values, not from just being busy.

    🚀 How to Downshift? 5 Strategies for Shifting into Second Gear

    Getting out of first gear doesn't require a revolution, but a series of conscious micro-adjustments.

    1. The 2-Minute Micro-Anchor

      • What: 3 times a day, stop everything.

      • How to: Close your eyes. Take 3 deep breaths, feeling the air flow in and out. Ask yourself, "What is the one thing that really matters right now?" Your next action will come from clarity, not panic.

    2. The Values Filter

      • What: Before saying “yes” to a project, an appointment, a task.

      • How: Ask yourself these two questions: “Does this nourish the person I want to become?” and “Am I making this choice out of enthusiasm or fear?”

    3. The Art of the "Unsacred"

      • Your Mission: This week, identify ONE THING you do out of habit or obligation. Find an elegant way to refuse it, delegate it, or transform it. Every "no" is a "yes" to yourself.

    4. The Non-Negotiable Appointment with Yourself

      • What: Block 15 minutes a day in your calendar as if they were your most important client.

      • How to: Use this time for an activity that has NO productivity goal: writing aimlessly, listening to an entire album, walking without your phone...

    5. The Rule of 3 Morning Intentions

      • What: Replace your endless to-do list with 3 clear intentions.

      • How: Every morning, define:

        1. A priority that serves your long-term vision .

        2. A resource-building action (see point 4).

        3. A gesture of relational authenticity (e.g.: sending a sincere message, being 100% present for 10 minutes with a loved one).

    Redefining Success: From Quantity to Quality

    The first gear measures success in volume : more projects, more revenue, more likes.

    The second gear measures it in quality : more alignment, more authentic impact, more joy in the process.

    It's not about giving up ambition, but about choosing a nourishing ambition over an exhausting one.

    Your first step, as soon as you finish reading this:

    Don't just nod your head. Inaction is the fuel for first gear.

    1. Look at your test score. No judgment. Just observation.

    2. Choose only ONE of the 5 strategies. The simplest one, the one that seems most accessible to you.

    3. Apply it. Not tomorrow. Now.

    Kevin Thibault
    Founder of Kallok's Arts and author of "Where Everything Becomes Clear!"

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