I view fluency as a spectrum. Hardly anyone in the population is without some disfluency. For stutterers, our disfluency is so frequent as to be evident in everyday speech. I was a severe stutterer. Frequent blocks. Blocks of such an intensity and duration that I would exhaust my air supply. For me, achieving fluency doesn't mean I am 100% without disfluencies. It means I can do everyday tasks without frequent or severe blocks. I can say my name or order food fluently. I can stand up in a meeting or at the front of a room and present to a group of my peers at work or in a classroom without a block. That's not to say I *never* block on my name, or while ordering. It can still happen. I was recently talking to another parent about our children. We were on the topic of physical therapy. I made a comparison to speech therapy. This man I've spoke to every weekend for the past two years had no idea I had a stutter. Personally, that's how I define fluency for myself. Generally, for anyone seeking fluency, I define it as improving. Being able to speak with fewer disfluent events. The impact of small gains shouldn't be undervalued. Small victories lead to greater successes. You might never play Carnegie Hall, but I believe everyone can learn to play. A great teacher helps. As does dedication and practice. I believe it requires a lot of work to achieve fluency. I failed at that for years. I hear people here often say "I would give anything to not stutter." Make sure those weren't hollow words. Put in the work. Never give up. And please don't take my words as trivializing anyone's efforts. There's nothing easy about striving for fluency. But I whole-heartedly believe we can all improve our fluency. I had points in my life where my stutter got worse. If your stutter can change one direction, why not the other? I believe that a stutterer needs to find the program and therapist that work for them. Your stutter isn't the same as mine. What worked for me won't be effective for all.