You can’t focus on how far you have to go…

Valerie Santillo is a Perpetual Agile Student who is passionate about this methodology and hungry to learn more. Valerie’s blog, Adventures in Learning, covers all aspect of agile practices, principles, and values.  Here’s Valerie…

You can’t focus on how far you have to go. Focus on how far you have come.

It doesn’t matter what kind of journey you’re on, focusing on the goal can be discouraging. I have fallen into this trap myself. In the midst of the transformation my company is going through, if I only looked at how far we still had to go, I might not show up to work. When working with teams, I have thoughts on the ultimate goal for the team and can get impatient with the amount of time they are taking to get there. This isn’t good for me but, it’s especially not good for the team. As a Scrum Master, I have an idea of where I want to go and the kind of coach I want to be and there’s always so much to learn that it can be overwhelming. I mean, will I EVER be there? If I look back at where I started, I am there. I have modified the end goal along the way.

Take some time to think about where you were when you started. Reflect on what you have learned on the way and how you’re incorporating it now. Celebrate the successes you have. I guarantee you have more than you think. Do this with your teams too. Have them reflect on where they were when they first got together and assess where they are now. It’s quite a motivating way to spend some time and, let’s face it, a little motivation never hurt anyone.

No matter what journey you’re on, keep your eye on where you want to be but, don’t forget to reflect on how far you have come.

This post originally appeared as You can’t focus on how far you have to go. Focus on how far you have come. in April 2013.  Thanks, Valerie, for contributing it!