We would know if we are going in the right direction. Before we get too far into that, let me warn you that life isn't really linear. Life is lived in many more dimensions than one. So, any linear scale is at best a crude approximation with only limited applicability. Don't make the mistake of believing that a person really IS somewhere on a linear scale.
Any person is a complex, dynamic, multi-dimensional event.
Sometimes it is practical to plot a person on a scale within a limited context, with the purpose of improving her state. But that is all it is done for. The purpose is not to judge people as better or worse than other people.