Above The Water's Surface

Take an empty drinking glass.  Add five ice cubes. Now add water, and keep going until the ice cubes are completely submerged beneath the surface.

You'll never get there.  The ice cubes float.  As you add water, the ice cubes keep rising to the top, gently breaking the surface.

If you’re going to measure progress (in business, in life, or anywhere) it’s important to do it with a barometer that doesn’t keep changing.

A good place to watch for this is where you notice yourself using the phrase enough. Enough is one of those sneaky metrics that we forget is subjective.  The bar keeps moving without us noticing.

• When I’m earning enough then I’ll relax.
• When I have enough experience then I’ll be ready to lead that team, apply for that position, write that book, etc.
• When I’m thin enough then I can feel better about my body.

Rather than trying to have or be enough, I find this approach is more constructive:

1. when measurement is needed, make sure to gauge progress against objective goals (total dollars sold, your runtime in the mile, etc.)
2. focus on ongoing intentions rather than thresholds

You might focus on being productive, healthy or loving. Or you might aim for feeling alive or being well-rested. 

Intentions like these are ongoing.  They cannot be completed.   They are the path of doing good work and living a satisfying life.  They shift the focus toward the journey and away from checking off milestones. This adjustment is both nourishing and a good formula for prolific accomplishments.

Think of it this way: rather than trying to keep your head above water, just focus on swimming, and the rest will take care of itself.