The Decade Perspective
Daily Chase #109
You overestimate what you can accomplish in a year and drastically underestimate what you can accomplish in a decade.
This is why you feel disappointed at the end of every year. You set ambitious goals in January, expecting linear progress, then judge yourself harshly when December arrives without the transformation you envisioned.
It’s because a year isn’t that long.
Three hundred sixty-five days. You’re awake for maybe sixteen hours a day. Work takes eight. That leaves you with precious few hours to create the changes you’re dreaming about. No wonder you feel like you’re spinning your wheels.
But a decade? That’s different.
Ten years of consistency compounds in ways you can’t imagine when you’re focused on annual achievements. The person who reads for thirty minutes a day doesn’t see dramatic change after twelve months - but after ten years, they’ve absorbed the equivalent of dozens of complete educations.
The graph of success never looks like you think it will.
You want smooth upward progress from bottom left to top right. What you get is a roller coaster - ups and downs, plateaus, setbacks, breakthroughs. Some years you’ll be flat or even move backward. That’s not failure. We call that life.
Maybe you spent six months caring for a sick parent. Maybe the market crashed. Maybe you needed to rebuild your foundation before you could grow again. These aren’t detours - they’re just part of the roadtrip you’re on.
To see that more clearly, change your measurement window.
Stop asking “What did I accomplish this year?” Start asking “How far have I come in the last ten years?” Look at your health, your relationships, your skills, your character. The person you were a decade ago would be amazed by who you are today.
On a long enough timeline, the important things often trend upward. Evolution works this way. Markets work this way. Personal growth works this way.
Trust the process, stay consistent, and let time do what time does.
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Saving this one. Thank you for the reminder :)