I don’t know if it’s our location, the logo, the people here, or a combination…but whatever it is, Perpetual tends to attract achiever-type personalities. It’s the #1 thing I find in common with those that come here.
Achiever-types are my favorite kind of people because they want to make a difference…they want to make an impact. They want to leave their mark on the world.
They have very high standards and expectations for themselves, which is often the catalyst for growth—recognizing where we are today and comparing it to what we believe we’re truly capable of. Then mapping a plan to get there.
But…this is most always a Catch-22.
Yes, recognizing areas for improvement is necessary to learn and overcome; however it’s easy to spend a disproportionate amount of our focus on where we can be better and completely neglecting all of the progress we’re making and the awesome things we’re accomplishing.
We’re never quite fulfilled because we know there’s always room for improvement (even though on paper we’re crushing it!).
It has been said that we’re ultimately defined not by what we achieve, but rather by who we become in the process of achieving it. If we wait to arrive at our end result to be happy, we’ll have missed the entire journey. Then, it’s onto the next one. And around we go.
Therefore, it’s necessary to find perspective.
The best way I’ve found to do this is to observe and recognize areas improve, but place far greater focus on the wins and forward progress made each day.
Understanding where we can grow keeps us hungry; celebrating ourselves gives us momentum. But ratios matter: Too much focus on our expectations of ourselves leads to frustration, burnout, and negativity…likewise, only focusing on wins blinds us from the opportunities to become better.
A good starting ratio is 5:1.
Each day find five things that you’ve done well (WINS) and one area you want to improve in.
Celebrate yourself on the wins and let go of judgement on the losses. Simply make a plan to get better and fall in love with the journey.