“The way to measure your progress is backward against where you started, not against your ideal.”

Memory consolidation is simply the process by which a temporary memory is transformed into a more stable, long-term form. But since our minds are constantly consumed with stimuli and content, so much of what you think about just washes over like a breaking wave at the shore. This means that what you don’t track and make note of, you simply forget.

Memory Consolidation

What you choose to pursue will constantly elude you because your ideal is a natural moving target. So if you fall for the trap of measuring your current self against your future self (the person who will have attained her ideal), you’ll never be satisfied with where you are today because there will always be a gap to fill. Be in the gain, not in the gap, and you’ll experience a sense of having achieved something beautiful. And that’s the feeling that’ll crush your inner critic’s voice and motivate you to keep going.

Focus on Your Progress, Not Your Ideal

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones… It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”

The gap is the distance between where you stand today and where your ideal stands way ahead. And as you continue to focus on that gap, you’ll continue to see how far away you still are, and thus you’ll continue to feel dissatisfied with your effort.The proper way of measuring progress? Look backward, not forward. Gaze right from where you are today, back to where you were when you first started. Do you see how far you’ve come?

Measure The Gain, Not The Gap

The challenge with consistency is that it’s quite difficult to sustain. One strategy incredibly useful is Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break The Chain,” whereby on the very days you show up to work toward your goal, you mark an X on your calendar. Your objective then becomes very simple: Don’t break that chain of X’s. The idea here is three-fold. It draws you back to the present moment, pushes you to focus on what you can control, and reminds you that growth and expansion happen in the process, not the result.

Seinfeld’s “Don’t Break The Chain”

Published research reveals that if you’re trying to achieve your goal, the 
more often you monitor your progress and physically record it, the greater 
the likelihood that you’ll succeed. Why? Because, the feeling that we’re 
making progress is powerful and positive, but it only comes when you've 
measured it. That's why it's important to measure the gain we've made, not 
the gap that still exists.

Memory Consolidation

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