Visible Progress

  Hi Friends!  I have been thinking lately about making progress in our lives, and how it is difficult to measure our progress on a short term basis in most things.  We may work out for two days and then grow discouraged at our lack of chiseled arms and six pack abs.  We might put in our best effort for a whole week at work and not get a $1,000 raise.  In our heads we know that success is a long term game, that we have to stick with our good habits for days, weeks, maybe even years to achieve the results we want.  The Rock wasn't built in a day, know what I mean?
  Despite knowing that results take time, we live in a microwave, I want it now, purchased on credit kind of society.  We've never been accustomed to waiting for anything, and so waiting for success seems extra difficult. So, what's a tangible way to measure our success?  Is there a way to see day by day our progress in small increments?  I think that there is.  And that measuring stick is reading.
  Now hear me out.  Charlie Tremendous Jones stated, "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and books you read."  I like the person I am today.  But I sure don't want to still be the same in five years.  So for me, reading is a daily habit.  It's a way to move myself towards my goals on a daily, tangible basis. And the beauty of reading is that you can find a book on almost any subject you would ever want to get better at:  health, fitness, finance, spirituality, relationships, success, investing, business, organizing, the list goes on.  And the other great thing about reading is, books aren't that expensive.  You can get a $20 book on investing and read it daily.  If applied, the knowledge you gain should net you far more than $20.  And here's the best part.  When you read, you can do it a few minutes or pages at a time, and you are still making progress.  Try it.  Get yourself a 300 page book on a subject you want to learn about.  Check it out from the library if you aren't committed to investing the money to own it yet.  Then splurge and buy yourself the coolest $2.99 bookmark you can find.  And here's the hardest part.  Decide to read for just ten minutes a day. (It's not actually that hard... it's easier than sit-ups.)  Just set your timer, and do it.  Stick with it, and I promise you, day after day, you will have the satisfaction of moving that book mark.  You can literally see your progress through the book on a daily basis.  That, my friends, is exciting.  But what is even more exciting are the subtle changes you won't even realize are happening.  As you read, you will see an idea, and maybe you will decide to try it, and you might find another idea a few pages later, and pretty soon, you've started to implement new habits, and before long you've changed for the better.  Book by book, you will start to become the person you've always dreamed of being, and if you keep up that ten minutes a day, five years from now, you might just be impressed with who you've become.  But it's all based on that daily measurable action.  Are you ready for noticeable progress?  Move the bookmark today.  I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.