--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your success has to be measured against…" description: "\"Your success has to be measured against yourself - a decade ago, last year, or yesterday.\" — Michael Gerber" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/michael-gerber-3751_decade_your-success-has-to-be-measured-against_2943570.png" --- # Your success has to be measured against yourself - a… ![“Your success has to be measured against yourself - a decade ago, last year, or yesterday.” quote by Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/michael-gerber-3751_decade_your-success-has-to-be-measured-against_2943570.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/michael-gerber-3751_decade_your-success-has-to-be-measured-against_2943570.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/michael-gerber-3751_decade_your-success-has-to-be-measured-against_2943570.png) > “Your success has to be measured against yourself - a decade ago, last year, or yesterday.” [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Measure progress by personal past performance, not external standards. **In simple terms:** Compare yourself to your former self. Key Takeaway Track growth over time. Themes self‑improvement benchmarking reflection growth Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career development - fitness training - skill acquisition - habit formation Key Concepts psychology self‑assessment Questions to Reflect On - What metric best shows your improvement? - How can you celebrate incremental gains? A Different Perspective Past achievements can distort current expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) ## Related quotes > [A decade ago, I never thought I would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/incubus/a-decade-ago-i-never-thought-i-would-be/) [Incubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/incubus/) > [When I worked in an office, I was definitely using a computer that should've been long gone over a decade ago but wasn't because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-herron/when-i-worked-in-an-office-i-was-definitely-using-a-computer-that/) [Kate Herron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-herron/) > [First, I'd become an avid reader of blogs, especially music blogs, and they seemed to be where the critical-thinking action was at, to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-wilson/first-i-d-become-an-avid-reader-of-blogs-especially-music-blogs-and/) [Carl Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-wilson/) > [There are two days in the year that we can not do anything, yesterday and tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-two-days-in-the-year-that-we-can-not-do-anything-yesterday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One year you go in for auditions, and everybody thinks you're the queen of comedy, and the next year, you're so 'yesterday,' and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/one-year-you-go-in-for-auditions-and-everybody-thinks-you-re-the/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [“There are two days in the year that you cannot do anything: YESTERDAY & TOMORROW: Only TODAY you can Be Happy, Smile, Dream, Love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo/there-are-two-days-in-the-year-that-you-cannot-do-anything-yesterday/) [Pablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo/) > [“Ten years have gone by since the ten year anniversary, and I still remember it like it happened a decade ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/ten-years-have-gone-by-since-the-ten-year-anniversary-and-i-still/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [A decade ago, I lived in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, as the treasury attache to our embassy there, and I was, of course, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-ortagus/a-decade-ago-i-lived-in-saudi-arabia-in-riyadh-as-the-treasury/) [Morgan Ortagus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-ortagus/) > [We started Roblox over a decade ago with a vision to bring people from all over the world together through play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/we-started-roblox-over-a-decade-ago-with-a-vision-to-bring-people/) [David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/) > [“Why this book? 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It was how her Grace had announced its nature, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory-she-held-close-to-her/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [As a personal matter, I stopped voting more than a decade ago, on the grounds that it helped me as an analyst not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-greenfield/as-a-personal-matter-i-stopped-voting-more-than-a-decade-ago-on-the/) [Jeff Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-greenfield/) > [“The outside pressure to be married was intense. This had surprised her a decade ago, but now she thought she understood. People wanted you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/the-outside-pressure-to-be-married-was-intense-this-had-surprised-her/) [J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/) > [The emergence of Pakistan, a decade ago, was an act of protest against the existence of privilege in the social order of the subcontinent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aly-khan/the-emergence-of-pakistan-a-decade-ago-was-an-act-of-protest-against/) [Aly Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aly-khan/) ## More by Michael Gerber > [The more Strategic Work you do, the more effective, productive, and joyful the Tactical Work becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-more-strategic-work-you-do-the-more-effective-productive-and/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand why people are choosing your model over your competition, then you are only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-owner-to-understand-why-people/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [I've said it for four decades - work 'on' your business, not just 'in' your business!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/i-ve-said-it-for-four-decades-work-on-your-business-not-just-in-your/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [If you expect to grow your business, you need to be plotting out your schedules days in advance. Until you get that most basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-expect-to-grow-your-business-you-need-to-be-plotting-out-your/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Growing your own business is great. Watching your ideas come to life, taking care of new customers and watching them become repeat customers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/growing-your-own-business-is-great-watching-your-ideas-come-to-life/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [You can't be the accountant in your accounting firm. You can't cut the grass in your landscaping business. You can't work on the vehicles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/you-can-t-be-the-accountant-in-your-accounting-firm-you-can-t-cut-the/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [If everybody's doing everything, then who's accountable for anything?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-everybody-s-doing-everything-then-who-s-accountable-for-anything/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Without concentration, a business will be ordinary in every respect, because it will have no presence, no inner force, no way to attract the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/without-concentration-a-business-will-be-ordinary-in-every-respect/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [When I say, 'doin' it, doin' it, doin' it' to a group of small business owners, they immediately respond. They recognize the experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/when-i-say-doin-it-doin-it-doin-it-to-a-group-of-small-business/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [“The natural tendency of man is to remain unconscious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-natural-tendency-of-man-is-to-remain-unconscious/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [There are three things that can be organized: time, space, and work. Note that, despite what many believe, you cannot organize people - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/there-are-three-things-that-can-be-organized-time-space-and-work-note/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [The world of the small business owner is all about moving multiple items forward at once, and it's a fool's errand to believe one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-world-of-the-small-business-owner-is-all-about-moving-multiple/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Entrepreneurship requires an unvanquished spirit of curiosity, an openness to learning, a letting go of OldCo so you're free to create NewCo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/entrepreneurship-requires-an-unvanquished-spirit-of-curiosity-an/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Here's the problem with phones - they are a ready-made diversion from the considerably harder work of growing a business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/here-s-the-problem-with-phones-they-are-a-ready-made-diversion-from/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/systems-permit-ordinary-people-to-achieve-extraordinary-results/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) [Explore all 122 Michael Gerber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) ## More Decade quotes > [It's funny, I used to say on 'That 70's Show', you could really put us in any decade, and it was about the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/it-s-funny-i-used-to-say-on-that-70-s-show-you-could-really-put-us-in/) [Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/) > [It was an odd coincidence that my career took off the same decade as having babies. I often wished it had been different, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kaczmarek/it-was-an-odd-coincidence-that-my-career-took-off-the-same-decade-as/) [Jane Kaczmarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kaczmarek/) > [I saw Len Hutton in his prime, Another time, another time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/i-saw-len-hutton-in-his-prime-another-time-another-time/) [Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/) > [The 1970s, the decade of my teenage years, was a transitional period in American youth culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/the-1970s-the-decade-of-my-teenage-years-was-a-transitional-period-in/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [I was eating beans by candle light for a decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-andre/i-was-eating-beans-by-candle-light-for-a-decade/) [Eric Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-andre/) > [I'm a product of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/i-m-a-product-of-the-1970s/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [“The eighties happened. The nineties happened. Death and sickness and getting fat and going bald happened. I traded lots of dreams for a bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-eighties-happened-the-nineties-happened-death-and-sickness-and/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When you're playing the same character for a decade it's natural that there are moments when you want to try something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-schwimmer/when-you-re-playing-the-same-character-for-a-decade-it-s-natural-that/) [David Schwimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-schwimmer/) > [I grew up in the '60s, which was a creative time, so it wasn't that big of a stretch to go from a baseball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/i-grew-up-in-the-60s-which-was-a-creative-time-so-it-wasn-t-that-big/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [I was a child of the '80s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-was-a-child-of-the-80s/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I don't buy into the glory days thing. I think every time has its great things to it. The '60s were such a glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-don-t-buy-into-the-glory-days-thing-i-think-every-time-has-its/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [You know, there's nothing in 'E.T.' that earmarks it as really '80s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-duffer/you-know-there-s-nothing-in-e-t-that-earmarks-it-as-really-80s/) [Matt Duffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-duffer/) > [When I look back on my life, it seems nearly everything of interest happened in little more than one decade - dramas, tragedies, major…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-radziwill/when-i-look-back-on-my-life-it-seems-nearly-everything-of-interest/) [Lee Radziwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-radziwill/) > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [I sort of don't remember anything I did in the '70s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/i-sort-of-don-t-remember-anything-i-did-in-the-70s/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) Browse all 615 Decade quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Your success has to be measured against yourself - a decade ago, last year, or yesterday.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Gerber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/your-success-has-to-be-measured-against-yourself-a-decade-ago-last/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decade" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/your-success-has-to-be-measured-against-yourself-a-decade-ago-last/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/michael-gerber-3751_decade_your-success-has-to-be-measured-against_2943570.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/michael-gerber-3751_decade_your-success-has-to-be-measured-against_2943570.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/michael-gerber-3751_decade_your-success-has-to-be-measured-against_2943570.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Your success has to be measured against yourself - a decade ago, last year, or yesterday.” — Michael Gerber", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Gerber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Your success has to be measured...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/your-success-has-to-be-measured-against-yourself-a-decade-ago-last/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/your-success-has-to-be-measured-against-yourself-a-decade-ago-last/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```