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Focus on Inches and You’ll Win by a Mile

Most of us like to see progress right away. So, when we take baby steps and can’t detect advancement, we abandon our efforts, thinking that we’ve failed. The truth is, measuring progress is often like watching grass grow. While it’s difficult to detect movement on a daily basis, it’s simple to see growth over time. Focus on inches and you’ll win by a mile.

Here are 7 guideposts to keep the grass green on your side of the fence:

Make the long-term investment. Every major undertaking requires desire, sacrifice, patience, and determination. Remember, it takes many years to become an overnight success.

Win in the short and long term. It’s important to set ambitious, yet realistic, short-term goals as you pursue your long-term interests. Remember, small wins provide momentum while long-term goals enable you to win big.

Establish a clear goal. Before beginning any task, ask yourself, “Is this activity instrumental to achieving my goal?” That’s because random activities can be wasteful or even work at cross-purposes with each other. Remember, when tasks work in concert, progress is compounded.

Walk before you run. Success is a game of inches. When you do something well day in and day out, the cumulative impact is huge. As Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”

Just say “no.” The goal shouldn’t always be adding to, but should sometimes also be subtracting from, daily tasks. While any single request may seem reasonable, added together unnecessary requests will divert your attention from your priorities.

Measure activity rather than progress. Sometimes it’s difficult, if not impossible, to detect progress. Have faith that positive activity leads to positive results.

Think small. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to get started. Fight the urge to overthink everything. Jump right in without delay.

What Do You Do to Win?

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Additional Reading:
How to Get Ahead and Make Steady Progress
The Easy Way May Be the Hard Way
Change Your Priorities: Change Your Life
Instant Gratification: Are You Selling Your Future Short?
Do Diets Really Work?

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