Life is full of signals and signposts to tell us how we’re doing. Test scores, on line reviews, partner feedback, parental advice, personality tests, guidance counselor recommendations…the list seems endless.
We can and should use some of this information as leverage to make things better. But, we should also ignore much of it...almost all of it, because...it's a trap.
We're conditioned to respond and react to inputs. Our parents, school, friends, foes, bosses, spouses...everyone around us has given us feedback. Sometimes, it's direct. Sometimes we ask for reassurance or for critique. But, the goal is the same...is it good enough for them? Over time, this target is the thing we end up working for instead of the reason we set out to do the work in the first place. The purpose behind our work is what makes it important. And without the work, there are no outcomes, whether they're good enough or not. So, the focus should first be on the work...the process.
Too often we focus on the goal of satisfying the feedback loop without nearly enough time spent on the habits and actions to help us get there.
Do the required work consistently...and occasionally look around to see if a course correction is necessary. Limit the firehose of feedback or you might never get there. Choose wisely.