Progress or success

Show Notes

Progress or success

This final section of the book encourages you not to get going and keep going. It also urges you to aim bigger and bolder than you might naturally be inclined to do. I find it harder to do this when I judge myself against the yardstick of ‘Success’ [measured against a goal post or other people] rather than ‘Progress’ [measured against my past self].

While my ego used to want to compete with other people, I have learned that this is a pointless race, a recipe for resentment and unhappiness. The wise thing is to compete only with myself. To try to make the most of my potential and not let other people dictate what I should or must do in my life.

I measure my progress in various ways. Whether I’m earning enough to live. Spending time on what I love. Trying to set a good example and improving the old work-life balance dilemma. I ask whether I feel proud of what I’m doing. Is it of any real use to the world? Am I helping the people I care about feel happy and cared for? Does it allow enough time for me to get out on my bike? 

If you decide to measure your life by ‘progress against yourself’ rather than ‘success compared to others’, what criteria would you measure things by? It is essential to be clear about what matters most. 

It’s also good to remember previous benchmarks. These will help you feel better about where you are right now, providing you are progressing. 

I was so excited when I self-published my first book and could finally say, ‘I wrote this’. (despite the listing on Amazon whose photo was so bad I burst out laughing when I saw it again recently: you could see the flash glare and my blue bedroom carpet.) I felt the same way when I had a book taken on by a publisher. Ditto when I secured a ‘big’ publisher. And now I have grown sufficiently blasé about what people think that I am excited to be writing this book via a free email newsletter.

Looking back like this helps me appreciate that I am moving forward. I have always been terrible at pausing to celebrate. I permanently berate myself about how far I still have to go. If we don’t reflect on the perspective of our younger, less-experienced selves, we deny ourselves the chance to notice that we are progressing.

As you become more adventurous, the terrain you tackle will become rockier and the paths to follow fainter and less well-trodden. But you’re not actually at the start line any more. You have come a long way to get to the point you are at today. You should draw confidence from this momentum. 

I’d urge you to pause and reflect like this from time to time. We can all be too hard on ourselves and make the mistake of comparing ourself to other people or imaginary finish lines. But it is progress we ought to measure, not success.

OVER TO YOU: 

• List some ways in which you have progressed over the years. Notice how far you have already come.
• What is your next step forward?

★ Support this podcast ★

What is The Doorstep Mile?

Would you like a more adventurous life?
Are you being held back by a lack of time or money? By fear, indecision, or a feeling of being selfish or an imposter?
Living adventurously is not about cycling around the world or rowing across an ocean.
Living adventurously is about the attitude you choose each day. It instils an enthusiasm to resurrect the boldness and curiosity that many of us lose as adults.
Whether at work or home, taking the first step to begin a new venture is daunting. If you dream of a big adventure, begin with a microadventure.
This is the Doorstep Mile, the hardest part of every journey.
The Doorstep Mile will reveal why you want to change direction, what’s stopping you, and how to build an adventurous spirit into your busy daily life.
Dream big, but start small.

Don’t yearn for the adventure of a lifetime. Begin a lifetime of living adventurously.
What would your future self advise you to do?
What would you do if you could not fail?
Is your to-do list urgent or important?
You will never simultaneously have enough time, money and mojo.
There are opportunities for adventure in your daily 5-to-9.
The hardest challenge is getting out the front door and beginning: the Doorstep Mile.

Alastair Humphreys, a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, cycled around the world for four years but also schedules a monthly tree climb. He has crossed the Empty Quarter desert, rowed the Atlantic, walked a lap of the M25 and busked through Spain, despite being unable to play the violin.

‘The gospel of short, perspective-shifting bursts of travel closer to home.’ New York Times
‘A life-long adventurer.’ Financial Times
‘Upend your boring routine… it doesn't take much.’ Outside Magazine

Visit www.alastairhumphreys.com to listen to Alastair's podcast, sign up to his newsletter or read his other books.
@al_humphreys