The way you view and rate success is similar to the way you do so with progress the only difference between both is that success can be gained in one area of your life without necessarily progressing from there afterwards or overall — depending on what the steps are. Success can be achieved as one-stop whereas progress, just like a ladder, is the upward movement of successfully achieved aims/goals.
Progress just like success is defined and thus, rated differently by different class of people so it’s wise that you’re careful with what you rate success as and thus, progress. The view of progress to/of something can be physical or mental. The mental aspect has to do with how you perceive that you’re either progressing or not.
The mind can be tricky in this respect and that’s why you must subjectively rate your level of progress with little or no objective interferences. So, for example, you could be achieving success or some form of growth professionally but lacking financially (dependent on what you specifically need) yet the mind, as tricky as it can be, chooses (subjective) to dwell on the latter and convince you that you aren’t progressing an ounce. This is where you implore the use of an objective lens because it lets you dissect the situation critically through comparisons to worst case scenarios both internally and externally to determine and reaffirm that you’re headed somewhere and to be grateful for it.
There’s progress already and you are the only one who knows because
- You are self-aware; when you’re self-aware, it means that you’ve continuously taken time out to learn and accept who you are and so, that means that when other people define what success and progress mean to them, you’re able to sieve “the grain from the chaff” by redefining them based on your terms. Your terms/point of view could be that from achieving a well-balanced mental life over other obvious aspects of progress, like financially, that you’re already progressing — after all you are a product of your thoughts, what a man thinks, he becomes say Mahatma Ghandi. So, when people tell you their obvious ways or methods to use before you know you’re progressing, you’re happy for them but adhere to your solo path of continuously prioritizing which area of your life you know requires more attention before terming its attainment progress.
- When you’re mentally sound enough to differentiate real progress despite its struggles from seeming progress. I say this because progress, although can be evaluated through successfully achieved aim/goal in life, can also be deduced when you’ve unsuccessfully done so. This is where you have struggles or setbacks with achieving certain things. Having a sound enough mindset will help you understand your struggles and to learn from your mistakes and missteps for next time after all there’s no progress without struggles. This, on its own is mental progress through exercising that manner of mental strength.
- Lastly, because you know you’re grateful for the parts you’re advancing on whilst acknowledging the parts that need improvements. So, when others are not able to see the progress you’re making, you’re not bothered much about that because you know the most important person to acknowledge the progress you’re getting is you and you’re already doing so and also the other parts that require you to do more, you’re already working on —attesting to you being a work in progress.
Progress is all about getting to the steps you’ve laid out in one or many areas of your life. The common and yet not so common potential to progress is what attributes us to being humans. It’s left for you to see the need to progress before that happens and to view and thus, rate it as progress based mainly on your terms (subjectively) and once in a while objectively as a form of reinforcement and a means to show gratitude for the former, regardless.
Progress comes in many shades, sometimes successfully and sometimes, with struggles. Your ability to embrace progress despite the manner it comes is what differentiates you from the others.
When you’re self-aware and practice mindfulness, you’re bound to know that you’re already progressing in something despite others not being aware of it or viewing and rating it so.
Always remember though, as human, you’re fallible; therefore practice self-compassion with the mantra in mind that you’re work in progress as anyone who wants progress must accept that they’re work in progress at some point.
