There was a moment I'll never forget. I was standing in front of an enormous mountain, gazing at the peak that disappeared into the clouds. The enormity of the task ahead was mesmerizing. The peak was my high standard, my ultimate goal. As I reminisced, it became clear. I had been so fixated on reaching the peak that I failed to appreciate the distance I had climbed from the base. It's a personal journey I feel compelled to share – a lesson about setting high standards and acknowledging our progress.

We often hear it said, “Aim for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” We're encouraged to set the bar high, which I ardently believe in – after all, as the founder of Success Insider, personal development is my DNA. Yet, we must always remember it's about the journey, not solely the destination.

Slogging up that mountain, reaching for that peak, it's easy to lose sight of our achievements. It's the countless steep inclines, the difficulties overcome, and the milestones that pass underfoot which should be our focus. The peak is our vision, the stars about which we dream, but the trodden path is our progress. The reality is that our greatest successes often lay within these nuanced steps, within the journey itself.

Our achievements are not always noticeable until we allow ourselves to pause, breathe and gaze back at how far we've climbed. There's a profound euphoria in that realization. This is where stories of success echo. From rising entrepreneurs to globally acclaimed personalities, their victories were often “acknowledging the progress” moments. We look up to them not merely because they have reached the peak but because they have traversed the journey – they climbed, they fell, they picked themselves up, and they persevered.

Each step we take, each hurdle we leap, each fear we conquer, is an accomplishment worth celebrating. Pause and celebrate your smaller victories. Look back and see how far you've come. Look back and see your path, strewn with tiny wins and massive triumphs. Isn't it something to be proud of?

Remember social pioneer Robert H. Schuller who once asked, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” Now, I urge you to ask yourself a different question: What do you see when you look back at the mountain you're climbing? Do you see progress, witness your momentum?

Stop and look back, and you may realize you're much further along than you give yourself credit. The path you've journaled, the credentials and adulations you've gained, the commendable reputation that you've built, they all attest to your growth. Even if you're not at the top, you've relentlessly moved closer, and that's true progress.

Through my journey, designing the Life Mastery Achievements (LMA) course, it became evident how pivotal it is to not just focus on the big dreams but appreciate our in-between triumphs. Understanding that true success is more a compendium of mini victories rather than a single, earth-shattering event can profoundly influence our perspective towards growth.

Dear reader, realize that you are not at the bottom aiming for the top, but on a mountain trail, constantly moving higher. You've scaled heights you couldn't dream of when you started, and that's progress. Don't belittle these steps forward; they contribute to your bigger picture.

High standards should not bias us to only crave for outlandish victories, disregarding our smaller accomplishments. Instead, let them push us to strive for greatness, while acknowledging every step forward, no matter how small, as an achievement. As the sun set on my journey up that daunting mountain, I realized I was closer to the peak than to the base. This epiphany only comes when we stop focusing solely on the peak and start seeing just how much progress we've made. I couldn't eliminate the gap between me and my high standard instantly, but I could progressively move closer to it, and each step I took brought me even nearer. My dear friend, it's the same with you. Besides, aren't the best views always halfway up the hike?