3 Keys for Measuring Success
Measuring success keeps you moving in the right direction. Knowing where you are going helps direct your choices. Reviewing your journey provides opportunity for correction of that direction. It helps to measure the results of my actions to determine the value of the continuation down that road.
I have to know, see, understand, and adjust.
Measure the results – If I have heard it once then I have heard it a thousand times. It is not only about having the right plan. It is not just about taking action. I have to determine if the actions are moving me in the path of the plan and if that plan is leading me towards my desired results. That only happens if I take a moment to measure the results.
The other day, I took a measurement and I found that I had not moved forward but had actually fallen even farther behind. Since things were not where I wanted there had to be a reason.
Tips for Measuring Success
Measuring success happens when we look at our journey today and compare that journey to yesterday. Progress shows success. If we are looking for success anywhere else then we run into struggles of our own creation.
Take Responsibility
I blamed my plan. It had to be in the details because I know what needs to be done. If I am not where I want to go then it is because I am following the wrong directions. I sat down and analyzed the plan – the one that I had been honing and tweaking over the last several years. It turns out the plan was solid.
The problem wasn’t the plan but the execution of the plan. We can know where we want to go, but if we never go then the plan will never produce results.
Shift Actions
I blamed the actions – not the person, just the actions. It had to be that what I did was not at the right time or place. I had listened to the experts but still, things were not working out. It had to be the actions holding me back. I looked over the lists of to-dos I had created and they not only aligned with the solid plan but were viable and reasonable.
I was busy with much doing instead of taking intentional action. Doing stuff won’t always get you closer to your goal. You need to take targeted actions and then see how those actions work for your goals. Measuring success begins with managing the actions.
Face the Circumstances
Finally, I turned to my circumstance. It had to be the outside forces conspiring to keep me down. The world was trying to hold me down. It had to be the limitations or hindrances thrown up by people, places, or things. There were a lot of circumstances swirling around me, but none of them were strong enough to overwhelm my determination or abilities.
All of my looking led back to me.
I looked around and then looked in the mirror. I recognized – or rather I admitted – that although things were not perfect and they definitely were not easy and not even what I wanted or expected – I AM RESPONSIBLE.
I have to realize and accept that I am the only one that hinders my success. The lack of that one bit of knowledge compounds my slide farther from my desired success. It is not the plan – although a sound plan specific to and for my journey will help me understand my steps. It is not my actions – although all change requires action and the right actions keep me moving in the right directions (those directions setup by my well-devised plan. It is not even the outside circumstances – although circumstances can force me to adjust, shift, or redirect.
Whatever I desire or want for my life and from my life – I AM THE KEY! Measuring success begins with the man in the mirror and ends with the actions I take. I can . . . if I will.
Do you want to take your journey to the next level? Define your success then take responsibility for the steps to get there.
You are the key that opens all the locks of your exceptional life.
Are you measuring the results? Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below.
