Measuring Backward … Again

Hi friend! Happy Tuesday!

Hope you had an amazing week! It felt like it flew by, but also crawled by at a snail's pace.

I've been thinking over the weekend that where I am right now is where I was wishing to be just 4 years ago. So I'm challenging myself to look past the pain, anxieties, and frustrations and see the blessings that I'm surrounded by, which I hoped and prayed for. Perspective is everything, am I right? Measure backward.

Measure Backward Today (tonight) is a short email!

In many ways, I feel like I could reshare Measure Backward and call it good - that's been the sum of this week.

Little real talk here...

I can pretty confidently say that I didn't count the cost of (consider) how hard it would be to always be learning, growing, and avoiding being average.

It's one of those things where as you aim for it, you realize how far from it you actually are, every single day.

And yet, you'll get occasional comments where you're told how much you've grown, far you've gone, not average you are, etc. and it won't make any sense.

This is why measure backward is so critical.

The further we go toward our ideal outcomes, the further away they get.

It's like we've spent all this time... but for what??

Think about the horizon; you can drive toward it all day long, but it's still always there.

By measuring backward, we get a clear visual of where we've been and how far away from where we are (think house disappearing, or the Colorado mountains disappearing as you head toward Kansas).

Now you could say, 'But we could do that moving forward if we set clear goals.'

Yes, you're 100% right.

But the thing is, we don't know what we don't know.

We know where we've been, what we've done, who we've met, etc.

But it's really hard to predict that about the future.

If there's anything predictable about life, it's the unpredictability.

And so, to even see the progress we've made, we have to keep track of where we've been and also allow ourselves to see that progress.

That last one is the hardest for me.

So, if you haven't read Measure Backward, or maybe it's been a minute, feel free to check it out, or check out Dan Sullivan's work over at Strategic Coach on the subject (not sponsored).

Have a wonderful week, friend, and congratulations on the progress you've made this year!!