“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

Maybe you don’t think you’ve been “successful.” But maybe, you’re only looking at where you are now and not how far you’ve come.

This quote, by Booker T. Washington, is a great reminder to take into account all the obstacles you’ve faced and overcome to be where you are today. Not keeping this in mind can lead to false comparisons. You may wonder why you haven’t succeeded at something while forgetting that your journey from point A to point B might look a little different. Everyone’s type and number of obstacles vary.

With a big-picture view of where you are now and what you’ve overcome, you can be less hard on yourself. You can give yourself more grace. Meanwhile, by remembering what you’ve overcome, you’re able to draw inspiration from your past. You remember that you have overcome, can overcome, and will overcome.