Autumn has seen the usual flurry of activity but with the addition of changing economic and political factors. Walmart experienced the biggest market decline since 1973 and luxury goods retailers like Burberry have been hard hit by softer sales in China. North American oil and gas exploration and production are at a fraction of last year. Canada’s recent federal election and Alberta’s apprehension with NDP changes are also contributing to lessened optimism and cautious 2016 budgets.

If you are like many of my clients, as the weeks fly by, you are asking yourself,

• “Am I making the best decisions in this environment?”
• “Am I making material progress or am I really busy but not accomplishing what I could?”

Here’s a simple exercise to help you identify the progress you are making. Once every week set aside a few minutes and grab a pen and paper.

• Identify 3-5 important tasks you completed.
• Identify 1-2 things you learned.
• Identify 3 things you are grateful for. Gratitude is powerful.

It is okay that your to-do list is still long and your email inbox is not empty. It will all be there next week. If you improve 1 percent every day, at the end of 12 months you will be 37 times better! Compounding is magical. There’s your 1 percent for today.

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