How do you measure progress?

This was a question someone recently asked me and my response was that progress can only be measured if you know where you are right now.

The problem with this is that most people don’t take the time to evaluate their current state. And there are reasons they don’t. Some don’t want to know, others think it takes too much time, while some assume that because they’re moving they are progressing.

By definition progress is the movement towards a destination. So, if you don’t know where you are and where you’re going then progress is almost impossible to measure.

Now there are times when it’s okay to just wander or go on a classic ‘walk about’ without a destination in mind because much can be learned from those experiences too, but if you’re looking for progress then you’re going to need to be more specific.

Measuring progress is not hard as long as you know what you are moving towards. However, slow progress can be challenging because you need a certain degree of mental fortitude to continue on. And usually the bigger the goal or destination the slower the progress feels. Take a step today of measuring progress in one area of your life by evaluating where you are, where you’d like to be and how you’ll get there.