The Power of Progress: Measure The Gain, Not The Gap

Unleashing the power of progress requires a shift in perspective. Instead of focusing on the gap, let's explore the significance of measuring the gain. It's about appreciating the journey, acknowledging growth, and fostering a mindset of continuous improvement.

How to Maintain Consistency

Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break the Chain”

• On the very days you show up to work toward your goal, mark an X on your calendar
• The idea here is three-fold: it draws you back to the present moment, pushes you to focus on what you can control, and reminds you that growth and expansion happen in the process, not the result.

Why is it Important to Measure Progress and What Difference Does it Actually Make?

If you’re trying to achieve your goal, the more often you monitor your progress and physically record it, the greater the likelihood that you’ll succeed.

• The feeling that we’re making progress is powerful and positive, but it only comes from knowing you’ve moved forward, and the only way to know that is through specific measurements.
• Memory consolidation is simply the process by which a temporary memory is transformed into a more stable, long-term form.

Remember: There’s Nowhere For You to Arrive at, You’re Already There

Your happiness and wellbeing have nothing to do with how well you think you’re doing, how far into the journey you’ve crossed, or what’s coming next.

• They depend on how present, accepting, and content you are with all that is. Your attitude in life matters more.

Measure The Gain, Not The Gap

We define success by sizing up where we are today against the ideal we had set out for ourselves a year ago

• The gap is the distance between where you stand today and where your ideal stands way ahead
• Look backward, not forward to measure progress
• Gaze right from where you are today, back to where you were when you first started and see all the progress you’ve made

Focus on Your Progress, Not Your Ideal

You’re a constant work-in-progress.

• If you fall for the trap of measuring your current self against your future self, you’ll never be satisfied with where you are today
• The progress that you’ve already compounded should be your primary benchmark for achievement
• Measure your progress against your starting point
• Be in The Gain, not The Gap, and you’ll experience a sense of having achieved something beautiful

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