The Gap or the Gain

Does the distance between where you are and where you want to be discourage you? There is a brilliant concept from the author Dan Sullivan called the Gap and the Gain that helps reframe your perspective. Gap thinking is when we focus on the distance between us and our goal. With this mindset, we often compare ourselves against what others have achieved. There’s no way to be happy from this perspective because even if we’re highly successful, we’ll always feel like we’re lagging behind. The good news is that when we come from Gain thinking, everything can rapidly change.

Gain Thinking is when we shift our perspective to the progress we have already made. This simple mindset adjustment can have us quickly feeling more positive, satisfied, and successful.

And it simply involves measuring our achievements based on where we are now compared to where we were before. Celebrating that gain gives us the positive momentum for the next upward stepping stone. For me, this has been huge. I used to compare myself to the amount of money and success others were having, but all that just had me feeling held back and bad about myself. However, when I look at the difference I make for each client, it shifted to gain thinking. Seeing their fulfillment, happiness, and success becoming a reality gives me the confidence to take another bold step. In fact, it made me realize that I’ve been steadily climbing an amazing mountain for years now, and I’m so excited about what it is continually becoming. 

I would never have gotten here from gap thinking. It’s little shifts like these that pave the path in every aspect of life. When you look at how far you have come, it gives you the confidence to go further. So, maybe you are doing better than you think. Find your inspiration.