TGIM: From Austria

Welcome back to Thank God It’s Monday!
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​tl;dr Milestones are aptly named because our progress is not evident in inches or feet but in miles.

Day to day, we largely repeat the same routines: the same breakfast, the same workout, the same job, the same downtime, the same wind-down. Maybe we swap our coffee for tea, or we move on to the next book before bedtime. We may alternate between running and lifting weights. One night may be spent eating out instead of cooking at home. But largely our days are similar.
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So when we increase our weights by five pounds, or get a task done at work that used to take 30 minutes in 20, it’s easy to overlook. Instead, when we measure progress in miles, we can see our progress more easily.
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Consider when you celebrate the first birthday in a decade (ie your 30th, 40th, etc.). Hopefully, your development in the personal, financial, professional, spiritual, and relational aspects of your life over the prior 10 years is largely evident. Similarly, when you ring in the new year, you reflect on how much has changed over the prior 365 days and yearn for growth over the coming year.
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I’ve been traveling for approximately the last two weeks in Europe, and I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do so. Besides the inherent reflection that often accompanies travel, I have been surrounded by people whom I’ve known since high school, college, and grad school, all reminiscent of various stages of my life.
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Laughing and reflecting on various memories with these friends also provides an opportunity to consider how much has changed, been accomplished, gained, and lost in these years.
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It is a mile-high view that we rarely remember to take in day-to-day life.
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What would the 2016 version of you think of you now?
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What would the 2021 version of you think of you now?
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What have you accomplished since then? What have you learned from hardship? What do you hope to never have happen again? What do you hope to experience one more time?
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Take a moment to pull yourself out of your repetitive routine to consider everything you’ve done to become the version of yourself you are today.
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*Seriously, pause.*
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Then, because we cannot live in our past, consider what you hope for your 2031 self. What is your ideal state for your 2036 self?
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While the numbers feel fake now, they will come sooner than we anticipate. If you embark on the next 10 years without a direction for your future self, you will have no clear destination to navigate towards.
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Instead, envision your next milestones. Have a clear idea of where, when, and who you want to be. Once you have that destination in mind, you can lay out what progress looks like and how to get there. You can start to embody the milestones that you will accomplish on the way to becoming that future version of yourself.
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And don’t be deterred when you feel like you haven’t made progress. Your days may feel like they’re blending, and your path may feel tumultuous, but as long as you have a clear direction and are putting one foot in front of the other, soon you will be able to look back and appreciate the milestones you have accomplished simply because you have refused to quit.
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If you found some value in this, please share it with a friend you think would enjoy it! And let me know if you’d like to be added to get TGIM.
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This week, my podcast recommendation is from The Ed Mylett Show, “Why Your Environment Dictates Your Future Success.”
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With that, I’ll talk to you all next week when I’m back stateside.
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Until next time,
Shannon