Milestone Mentality Vs Movement Mentality

We’re in a world that rewards high performance and achievement. Headlines feature incredible accomplishments... Social media posts are highlight reels... Praise comes from winning long, hard fought battles... And while all of those things are deserving of it, it really serves us to find ways to celebrate more proactively.

It’s the distinction between enjoying the journey and the destination. Of course we want to feel accomplished when we achieve something meaningful that we worked hard for, but it’s more important that we find satisfaction in the process because that’s where we spend the majority of our time. The results aren’t guaranteed.

This is where I want to introduce two different perspectives: Milestone Mentality and Movement Mentality. 

Milestone Mentality is about chasing outcomes that can usually be defined in a moment. It’s pursuing a path forward from the mindset that there’s a job to be done, or a goal to reach. If you’re inspired by what you’re working toward, then this can be an effective mindset. But ultimately it’s meant to fuel day to day action that generates progress.

This is why I prefer the Movement Mentality. It’s about showing up, staying engaged, and applying yourself in whatever way that looks. Your decision to move is within your control and therefore, less vulnerable to outside forces and a more reliable and sustaining source of joy.

The difference in approach is common throughout goal setting practice. Businesses have leading KPIs (which are more process based) and lagging KPIs (which are more outcome based). It’s the combination of the two that keep you taking action in the ways that are meant to contribute progress, and a feedback loop to know if it’s working.

I find that the right balance for this is to take a step back every week or month to get in the mindset of the outcomes you’re pursuing, and the milestones you want to achieve. This helps you align on what you want, and once you know that you can make the plan that you believe is most likely to achieve it.

At that point, you spend the majority of your time executing, focusing on generating movement through daily action, and celebrating the achievement of that. 

I’ve found for myself that the more emphasis I’ve placed on the inputs of life, the more fulfilled I feel and the more enthusiasm I bring to my life. You’ve probably heard this before, it’s not a groundbreaking discovery, but hopefully it’s a timely reminder to refocus your effort and attention on the process, not the outcome.

If you want to find more joy on a daily basis, then you’d get a lot out of taking on the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge. It helps you get more consistent with daily reflections so that you’re acknowledging your daily progress, and getting clear on the action steps you need to follow through on to move the needle toward your goals.