Every time I’ve felt that I am never going to achieve the big goals I want, I had defaulted to measuring my progress wrong. Here’s my mistake: I was measuring forward.
Reviewing the set goals and ensuring all aligns with your vision; that’s regular checking in. But when the goals are in front of your eyes that constantly, they easily become the reference point for progress.
Looking forward and measuring forward easily blur together. It turns your goals into something that always feels just out of reach.
Your ideal outcome is like a horizon: no matter how long or how fast you walk towards it, the horizon doesn’t get any closer. This is what happens to most creative, ambitious entrepreneurs: The ideal future vision grows as their business grows. The distance between you and what you want to create stays. You could have had your best month ever and still feel behind.
That feeling is not telling you anything about your progress. It is telling you which direction you are measuring in.
The way you measure success dictates how you feel about your progress. Dan Sullivan’s book “The Gap and The Gain” is one of the best descriptions of this concept.
Measuring towards the ideal puts you in “the gap”. It’s an energy- and motivation-deflating place to be in. Even if you’ve made significant progress towards your goal, you’ll feel disappointed.
Measuring backwards against your starting point or last milestone gives you the real “gain”. Even if you haven’t yet achieved your goal, you can acknowledge the success you have achieved.
When you measure backwards, you increase positive energy, confidence and satisfaction. That boosts your happiness and performance to gain more, with less friction.
Your vision and big goals matter; nobody steers without them. But for measuring how far you’ve come, look backwards.
Take 10-15 minutes over the weekend to reflect on these questions:
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Reflecting on the last time you looked at your goals and progress, how did it make you feel?
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More specifically, how did it impact you? Get granular… where has your focus been?
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Imagine you deliberately separated the two: vision and goals for navigation, results for measuring progress. What could it change for you?
If you want to share, your thoughts are welcome.