I am a big fan of Dan Sullivan, the “Strategic Coach.” He works with entrepreneurs who want to grow their business while also increasing their free time and enjoyment of their work. I haven’t joined his program but I have read a large number of his books and watched a lot of his videos.
His latest book (well, it’s actually written by Benjamin Hardy but the book is done in collaboration with Dan and is all about his ideas) is, “The Gap and the Gain,” and like most of his stuff, I found it to be a good read with some helpful ideas.
The premise of the book is that while most of us measure our success by “the gap” (how far away we are from the goal we want to achieve), you would be better served to measure yourself by “the gain” (how much progress you have made from your starting point).
The point is that when you focus too much on the Gap, you feel discouraged and disappointed. When you focus on the Gain, you appreciate your progress and feel motivated to continue.
This idea fits very well into my recent blog post, “Half Ass is Better than No Ass.” Focusing on progress, not perfection, is the way to create long-term change and to achieve meaningful goals.
If you struggle with feeling unmotivated or feeling overwhelmed or sad about how far away you are from achieving your goal, I would advise checking this book out. It’s a great read on a simple idea that might help you change your progress.