How To Feel Happy About Progress
See people in society dissatisfied with their position in life and hopping on self-improvement is reassuring.
I used to despise those I saw reading.
Those talking about their 8 hours of sleep.
The kid that refuses the candy offer from the teacher.
Yes, I was one of those people.
I was jealous.
But subconsciously, I had desires to start improving my way of living.
Now that I’ve done so for 1.5 years, I can’t help but see people being healthy and respect them for it.
I’ve also come to a realization.
A significant factor keeping people going in long-term endeavors is recognizing progress.
This is essential to your journey because you’re letting yourself know that the hard work is paying off.
Think about someone who went to the gym for three years and never took a photo before.
The person who did take one is bound to feel more fulfilled, healthy, and happy with their gains.
That’s what we want from self-improvement. To feel good about ourselves?
In this article, we’ll review progress and how to track it best.
What’s Considered Progress?
The term ‘progress’ comes out as pretty vague.
Progress entails being better than my past self.
I see that’s the simplest way to put it.
We can expand on this with some examples.
Progress could be the quiet kid in middle school but became more outgoing once high school rolled around.
Progress could also be smoking six times a month in 2023 to 5 times a month in 2024.
From fat to less fat.
From skinny to more built.
You’re progressing as long as you’re working to become better than your prior self.
Go at a workable pace — I don’t care how minuscule my results are, though others do.
Some obsess over progressing so much in an unrealistic time frame because the progress timeline is slow (especially for this generation).
To stay committed and driven, we all must have a method in which we practice that displays how much progress we’ve made and how far we’ve come.
Not enough pride to be satisfied to stop, but enough pride to know that you’re headed in the right direction.
Find Happiness by Documenting The Journey
Looking back three years ago vs. now, my physique has radically transformed.
I can’t help but feel proud of all the hard work and sacrifices I made.
I recommend taking a picture of your physique every 2–3 months.
Taking one every day can lead to self-obsession.
Another effective means of tracking would be using a habit tracker on Notion. I use one personally, and it lets me know what I’ve accomplished in the day and what’s left to get done.
Here’s a screenshot of mine here:
The third and final ritual I follow is using the mobile app ‘calendars’ to record my Nofap progress.
If I make it through the day clean, I put a checkmark.
If I relapse one day, I put an X.
All in all, that’s how I track my habits and progress. If you’re smart enough to know that self-improvement is a lifelong game, then you’re smart enough to realize that documenting your ups and downs and reflecting is essential.
Conclusion
We’ve reviewed what ‘progress’ really is and how to track it.
But we need to figure out how to make progress and see the growth you want.
Making progress in life in terms of:
- Your body
- Your career/business
- Your relationships
- etc.
It will be granted through hard work, discipline, patience, consistency, humility, self-care, and respect.
Not to mention ego.
The ego will disconnect you from what truly matters.
It’ll take your hard work and make it look useless.
It convinces you that you deserve better results, even though you haven’t worked nearly enough.
The people who work hard for years on end are the ones who deserve success.
Those who spent years in degeneracy (smoking, video games, scrolling) deserve to be in a rut.
Start a lifestyle in which you deserve better.
Thanks for reading.
I’ll see you in the following article.
