Success is an interesting phenomenon. It serves not only as a goal (Note: not an end point), but also as motivation towards the same goal. Each step we take in a certain direction not only gets us closer to this goal, but helps us gain momentum in this direction which makes the next step even easier.

But in order to take advantage of that motivation and momentum, we need to see the progress we’re making. What can we do to make sure we are seeing the steps we’re taking and leveraging these successes?

As I mentioned previously, success is personal, so for it to mean something, we’re the ones who have to define that. Now, we’ve already found our yardstick for measuring success. Whether it’s a lifelong goal, a weekly mantra, or anything in between, we now have a scale. But if we never hold anything up to the scale, does the scale even exist? (Don’t mind the philosophy). So let’s take a look at four ways we can hold things up to this scale.

Daily Recap

Each day we do many things. We complete actions, we go places, we meet people, we rekindle old friendships, we work out, we buy groceries, we . . . well, you get the point. But how many of these things pass unnoticed? Just by taking a minute or two at the end of each day, we can see what was accomplished, and take the energy burst with us into the next day.

Journal

Journaling is an interesting exercise. It’s something some people do religiously, while others can’t be bothered. However, one thing it does do is give you time to reflect. Regardless of the frequency in which you write, or if it’s ever reviewed, the very act of journaling gives you a chance to look at what you’ve accomplished, which is the perfect time to see what progress you’ve been making!

It can also be a good way to work through a decision or situation. I’ve found that putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) can help clarify my thoughts and enlighten me as to where I might be stumbling. This can then clear the path to future success.

Weekly Review

I’ll admit, I’m a GTDer, so this is something I work to include in my schedule. However, a big part of it is double checking not only what’s coming up, but what I’ve done in the past week. This allows me to better understand the context of where I am, essentially clarifying the lookout on which I’m standing. Even if you’re not into GTD, a basic weekly review, like a mega daily recap, can be extremely useful.

Success log

One thing I’ve tried to do over the past few months is just keep a text file on my hard drive containing some of the things I’m proud to accomplish. At a company that does annual performance reviews, I sometimes found it difficult to remember what I had done right after the previous review, even if it had seemed big at the time. A side effect of this was the ability to open it up at a moment’s notice and review some accomplishments, making it easier to move forward even in the face of resistance (either internal or external).

These are just four ideas that you can use to capture those successes and use them to attain ever-increasing heights. If you’ve got some other tips or tricks, please feel free to share them in the comments.

PS. Lifehack had an interesting article on goal setting posted Monday, based around the premise that:

“…setting a goal invests ourselves into the target as if we’d already accomplished it. That is, by setting something as a goal, however small or large, however near or far in the future, a part of our brain believes that desired outcome is an essential part of who we are – setting up the conditions that drive us to work towards the goals to fulfill the brain’s self-image.”

This takes things a step further, not only is success motivating, but the intention to succeed can be motivating as well.