The Gap or the Gain?
Setting goals and moving towards them can either cause us happiness or unhappiness, depending on our perspective. (And our perspective is our choice!)
The goals we aim toward are always somewhere between us and the horizon. The concept of the horizon is useful to figure out a direction and to plan a destination, but we can’t really arrive at the horizon. So is our process of moving forward creating happiness or not?
Let’s undertand the difference between the two ways in which we can measure ourselves: against the goal which puts us in “The Gap,” or against our starting point, which puts us in “The Gain,” appreciating all that we’ve accomplished so far.
Any and all progress is a measurable gain. The best way to measure is by looking from where we are, back to where we started, and seeing all the progress we’ve made. Measuring this way can lead us to satisfaction and pride.
For a lot of people, doing anything “backward” seems counterintuitive because we’ve been taught that we should always be focused on our future and not turning back. But while measuring forward is good for setting goals, we need to measure backward to in order to get a true sense of our progress.
Measuring where we are, against the goal we want, can lead to discouragement and frustration. I bet I’m not the only one who has experienced this!
I often have to remind myself that my perception is what really determines my happiness. And so, it’s important for me to choose to focus on my “Gain” not on my “Gap!”
How about you?
2 Comments
Great inspiration Pat!
This is great!