Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 59 seconds.

TODAY’S IDEA: How do you grade yourself?

— From Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur, by Derek Sivers.

Today we have another idea full of wisdom from one of my favorite entrepreneurship gurus, Derek Sivers. As he was in New York City, he noticed that there were many buildings that said TRUMP on them. And even as he was driving into the rural countryside, he saw a Donald J. Trump park (this is before Trump became President).

“It made me wonder if he grades himself according to how many valuable properties bear his name,” says Sivers. “Plenty of real estate tycoons have made billions without putting their names of everything, but maybe that’s his measure.”

Then the author points out that “we all grade ourselves by different measures.”

For some people, it’s as simple as how much money they make. When their net worth is going up, they know they’re doing well.

For others, it’s how much money they give.

For some, it’s how many people’s lives they can influence for the better.

For others, it’s how deeply they can influence just a few people’s lives.

For Sivers, he says, “it’s how many useful things I create, whether songs, companies, articles, websites or anything else. If I create something that is not useful to others, it doesn’t count. But I’m also not interested in doing something useful unless it needs my creative input.”

He challenges us to think about how we grade ourselves. Because, he says, “it’s important to know in advance [how you grade yourself], to make sure you’re staying focused on what’s honestly important to you, instead of doing what others think you should.”

So, how do you grade yourself? Let me know in the comments here.

ACTION

TODAY: Take a moment to ponder how you grade yourself. I’ve come to the realization that, depending on the stage of my life, I’ve graded myself one way or another. Think about the stage you are in and how you grade yourself now: Is it consistent with who you are today and your ideas and goals? Or are you still grading yourself with some measure from the past? Give yourself a grading upgrade if that is the case.

FUTURE: As you embark on future goals and projects think of how you will define success and how you will grade yourself. The answers must be congruent and aligned.

Know someone who needs upgrade his or her grading? Please share this post: Email, Facebook, Twitter. Thank you!