Take a minute and think about a beautiful horizon. A hot orange sun melting into an endless blue ocean. Have you ever actually been to the horizon? Can you get to that place where the dreams of the sky meet the realities of earth? Of course not. As you make progress toward it, it continues to stay just out of your reach. Forever in front of you as you march ahead.
I've learned from my friends @ Strategic Coach in Toronto, that we often fall into the trap of measuring where we've come up short instead of all the progress we've made. We worry about having not made it to the horizon (the gap) instead of celebrating the amazing achievements we've made along the way (the gain). As they say, we need to "measure the gain, not the gap".
Measure the Gain, Not the Gap...
Right now a lot of you are working from home as markets and economies are roiling. It's easy to fall into the gap and start thinking about how much wealth you've seen erased or how challenging work is going to be. Today I'd encourage you to do something different, measure your gains, not the gap.
As a perfectionist myself, I often get caught in the gap trap, but right now I'm staying with the gains. Over the past ten years, our team at Spurstone and my family at home have made amazing strides. I'm excited at the opportunities these markets bring for us to be able to help more people achieve their dreams while achieving those of our staff and my family. 2020 is the dawn of a new decade and it's up to each of us to make it our own.
So here's something you can try today. Take 5 minutes to quietly sit and think. Think about how different your life was 10 years ago. Think about all the progress you'd made and all the ways your life and your career may be better now. I'd imagine you were lower on the office totem pole and with lesser savings and wealth. You've made big progress and you can be even better positioned for more.
Sure, the horizon might seem a bit further away but knowing you can make big strides toward it is a powerful strength to maintain.
Tomorrow, I'm planning to discuss goal setting, a good use of any potential downtime right now. Enjoy!
-Tim Golas, Partner @ Spurstone - Architects of Executive Wealth