How do you measure your successes?

I found an excellent quote, when I read it my first thought was, “That’s exactly true!” I know several people who put themselves into the “loser” category exactly because of this behaviour.

“Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.”

–ARMONK, NY ( Aug. 8 )

How do you measure yourself? I’ve certainly been guilty of comparing my own successes to those of others. The times I did, I was never as happy with an accomplishment or an achievement as I was when I compared my successes against my goals.

It’s difficult not to be influenced by the success of people around us. It’s difficult to not try to use their achievements as a measuring stick for ourselves. But when we do that we set ourselves up for disappointment. No matter what you achieve, there will always be someone who achieves a little (or a lot) more.

So goal setting is extremely powerful not only for having a specific picture of the things you want to achieve, it also serves as your “yard stick” when it comes time to measure your success in achieving your goals.

This is why setting specific and measurable goals is so important. If you don’t have a specific idea of exactly what you want, and you don’t have a method of measuring it, you’ll never know if you succeeded in achieving your goal!

And if you don’t know if you achieved your goal, you’ll probably look to the success of people around you to see how you “stack up.”

And you know what? You won’t be happy with what you’ve achieved because you’re not using your own goals as the deciding factor of success, you’re using someone else’s goals as the deciding factor of success.

So make a commitment today to stop letting your sense of accomplishment be dimmed by comparing yourself to others. Make a commitment to set written goals and use those goals to measure your achievements!

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Here are some related articles you might also enjoy!

• You need more than measurement to reach your goals.
• Stop listening to negative people!
• Keep a journal to chart your progress.
• 3 reasons you must move out of your comfort zone.
• How high do you bounce?

December 9th, 2005

Entry Filed under: Goals, Success, Improvement