Futility of Measuring "Inputs"

“I will do this for one more year and then I will have enough to afford to do something else”.

“If I work hard for another 6 months I will achieve the promotion then it will be easier”.

“Just 3 more months and this project will be completed and then I can get back to normal”.

Or perhaps it goes like this:

“Sales have dropped off and we all have to work longer to make up for it”.

“There is a recruiting freeze so we are covering for vacant roles”.

At different times I have used one or more of these phrases to justify my actions and my work habits. I have used them knowing them to be an excuse and a crux of security.

And when each mile stone comes around, there is another to take its place; they overlap.

One more year wasn’t “enough”, the promotion was yet another 6 months away, then another 6 months and each project was replaced by another.

And at the end of the year, we look back with a sense of exhaustion and compliment ourselves and each other on the inputs we have achieved.

But what has been achieved and who cares?

Have you ever taken a moment to asses, and I mean really, deep down and honestly asses what “SUCCESS” means to you.

If we judge success on our "inputs", we will never be successful.

Controversial comment? Maybe, but think about it.

If “inputs” are our measure or the crux we cling to to justify ourselves, there is always more to give. Enough is never, ever enough. There are more hours in the day and we will always be seeking to do more in the same space of time.

Judging our success by way of inputs will always result in dissatisfaction, frustration and failure.

As we continue to look back on 2017 and forward to 2018, honestly assess what you mean by and how you measure your own success.

If your measure happens to be financial, do you have a figure in mind in order to know when you have achieved success. If you are on the treadmill of always wanting more for the sake of having more, you will never achieve success.

If this is you, perhaps another measure will be more positive and the side benefit will be financial gain.

Perhaps you desire the financial success in order to buy the next car, house of holiday. Ask yourself “who am I trying to impress”?

I will bet that whoever it is, won’t care and won’t be impressed anyway.

If someone is worth anything at all, they will care about “who we are” rather than by “what we have”.