Time to read: 3 minutes
Article at a glance:
- There will always be a space between where we are and where we want to be, and that’s a good thing.
- Progress isn’t about arriving, it’s about evolving, growing our perspective, deepening our contribution, and building momentum.
- Real fulfillment comes from discovering and growing our unique contribution: what we’re wired for, helpful at, and what fills our cup.
- We can measure progress by how we feel, what’s becoming easier, and how much joy we find in the process, not just milestones.
One of the exciting things about life is that there will always be a space between where we are and where we want to be. We’ve called this space the rolling gap, the evolving ideal, or even just “potential”.
It works like this:
Imagine you’re walking toward the horizon. You can keep getting closer to possibilities you see, but you’ll never reach the horizon. You can see a tree or a mountain and walk to it, but there will always be space between you and the horizon—your view of the ideal, potential, and possibility.
The best imaginable, or your ideal, is always going to evolve because the limits of your imagination will change and grow right along with your experience and perspective. The best you can imagine today isn’t the best you’ll be able to imagine a year from now.
A New Growth Paradigm
In areas of our strength, the space between where we are and where we could be never closes. Some people really struggle with this.
We’ll always see that there’s more potential, and this is a good thing. It can be uncomfortable to feel like we’ll never reach our destination.
Try this reframe: instead of never arriving, you could say that we’re always arriving. We’re always upleveling, always growing, always improving.
Wouldn’t life be boring if we arrived once, and that was it? If that space disappeared and we had no more potential? If we were done?
Yeah, that doesn’t sound good to us either. At Redmond, we’re playing the infinite game. We’ll never be done elevating the human experience, so we never want to be done, but keep contributing as long as we possibly can.
So, how do you measure progress?
We’re used to setting goals and measuring our progress through milestones and how close we are to “arriving” or being finished. But if we’re never finished, how do you tell if you’re progressing if that space is always there?
Love the process
When you fall in love with the process of growth and the mission, you can get excited about the possibilities even though you’ll never be able to do all of them.
Focus on your Three Circles
The more you learn about what you’re wired for, how you can be helpful, and what truly fills your cup, the more fulfilled you’ll feel. Real progress and momentum come from discovering our unique contribution because this is where we find the most meaning in our lives and have the most potential
This too, is a dance. You’ll never really arrive at this perfect place where all your Three Circles overlap and not have to grow anymore—and if you do want to stop growing, that area probably isn’t your three circles—but consistently aiming for that center will give you direction.
Celebrate your progress and momentum
Schedule regular celebrations throughout the process so you can pause and feel joy for where you are, even if it’s only a little further than where you were a month or two ago. These little celebrations aren’t based on milestones or if/when scenarios, but are a regular part of your life and reflection.
If you're always looking at the path ahead of you, without ever looking at how far you've come, or how much closer you are to where you want to be, it can be really hard to have a sense of your progress.
Look at how far you’ve come, and pay attention to where things feel easier, because that’s where momentum shows up! Momentum means that we gradually get more results for less effort over time until results seem almost effortless. The more we progress, the more momentum we build. That’s worth celebrating!
Conclusion
This is a whole new paradigm of progress.
It can be really hard to let go of the idea of “arriving” because we’ve been taught that we’ll be happy when we reach a certain milestone. It might feel like we’re eliminating that moment of arriving.
But the good news is, this paradigm can help you find joy, purpose, and meaning in the process, and not just a goal. You can learn to not delay happiness or success, but acknowledge your progress NOW. In this mindset, you only measure yourself against your previous self, and use your ideals as a direction and not a measurement.
You don’t need to wait until you “arrive” to feel happy and fulfilled!
