Five reasons you should track your progress in a place you (and the world) can see it.

I have always loved walking into a Kindergarten classroom. The rooms are bright and overflowing with imagination-stimulating images and encouragement floats through the air like dandelion fluff. If the teacher is good, you will see one common theme throughout any Kindergarten class—they track progress. Everywhere you look, you see visual depictions of the goals and how close the children are to achieving them. You even see progress to a punishment, i.e. pulling a stick or moving a car.

Yet as we get older, progress becomes unspoken. It’s the silent and obvious message—no news is good news. Adults are meant to be intrinsically motivated and making anything visible is somehow childish or boastful. The progress is only revealed when the story is over (I lost 30 pounds or my marriage is great or I have a great new job). No one talks about the trips to the counselors office, the see-sawing of gaining and releasing weight or the grind of the application process.

Adult progress is quiet, hidden, and uncelebrated.

I want to bring Kindergarten back.

This week we are focusing on what I call “Progressive Inspiration.” It’s simply a strategy to inspire progress. You were given five senses for a reason. The more three-dimensional your dreams are, the more likely you will achieve them. The process of building the image of your visions and tracking your journey is fun, inspiring, and intriguing. There are four easy ways to track your vision and make it easy to see where you are in your process to your best life:

• Keeping track of your actions. (How many calls you made for your business or how many steps you took today).
• Keeping track of your progress to your goal. (Choosing a goal-dollar amount and tracking how much more money you have collected or saved each week).
• Keeping track of Personal Bests. (Using your baseline running speed as a goal to “beat.”)
• Keeping track of milestones. (Choosing important moments to signify progress, like buying a plane ticket, or getting your passport).

But if you aren’t into the fluff and you are too important and adult-like to consider the benefits of Kindergarten, here are five reasons you should start tracking your vision.

• Because you will forget your why.

The beginning of any journey is awesome. Your imagination brings the possibilities into focus. You think about the story you will tell Oprah when you get interviewed for your successful venture. And then a few days later, you just don’t care and the activities of the now have overwhelmed and subdued your passion.

When you create a way to visualize your progress, you are also reminded why you started. You fondly look at where you have come and you see the providence in your journey. When I created my book, The 180 Life, I printed out a prototype I could refer to. It felt real to me, and I was reminded of how much I wanted to hold the real book in my hand.

• Because it’s easy to see where you are in the process.

Have you ever run a new route with someone who was familiar with the path? If the person isn’t good at telling you where you are in the journey, you can fool yourself into feeling tired. But when that same running partner tells you, “we are halfway” or “only a mile to go,” your mind/ body reaction is far more positive.

Help yourself out and create a system that brings your progress to life. For my cookbook, my goal is to cook 100 recipes. Knowing when I’m halfway or when I’ve had a particularly productive day gives me energy to reach my goals.

• Because it’s easy to see patterns and reshape and lean in.

There is a certain level of accountability when you can see your journey. String a few successful days in a row and you’ll start to believe the progress or transformation is real. You also will see patterns and adjust to circumstances that stand in your way. You might also see your goal needs an adjustment!

If someone is having a hard time living in harmony with their spouse or boss, I ask them to track their behavior for a month. Mark down when they feel angry and what provoked the emotions. When do they lose their temper. Data can be a powerful thing, don’t you think?

• Because ceremonies make you powerful.

Tracking your progress builds confidence. You start to BELIEVE you have the power to complete your journey. You will BELIEVE you are strong enough for the next challenge. You start to take yourself seriously.

Going back to my cookbook, when I got to about 15 recipes on my “wall,” I started to believe I could do it. And every day that I tape another few recipes up there, that cookbook feels just a little more real.

• Because at the end, you’ll be so excited, and you know when you are done.

I like to know when I’m done. If I’m pushing hard to complete something, and I’m feeling tired and overwhelmed, it helps to know this grind isn’t forever. With every step I’m getting closer and I’m going to celebrate at the finish line. Posting your progress keeps the celebration in sight. Here’s the other thing: your progress will instigate and inspire change in others. And that’s making the world a better place!

My friend, I’m bringing Kindergarten back. The world should be bright, cheery, interesting and encouraging. Our goals should be out for all to see and anything good in your life should be noticed and celebrated. Here’s the truth: there aren’t that many unhappy kids in Kindergarten. It must work. Will you try this strategy? Track your progress and feel the natural momentum build. You’ll be experiencing your vision in no time.

Want more coaching? Try this low-investment, high-impact opportunity! One hundred days of coaching with me, and some amazing participants from all over the world. Your goals are achievable if you can see them. I believe that. It’s time to pull your dreams into action!