What Makes You Feel Accomplished?
Thank you for your responses last week. I loved reading them and getting insights into how different sounds make you feel and inspire you.
This week's question is: What makes you feel accomplished? I used a random number generator to choose the order for all questions; and I think it's quite fitting that this one is week two of a new year when we are all still likely contemplating resolutions and goals.
The conditions of my environment have a big impact on my mood and my ability to focus. So mini accomplishments with a big impact include making my bed each morning, having a clean kitchen with no dishes in the sink, the couch pillows looking tidy, and the blinds open. I do all of that within the first 15 minutes of waking up and it makes me feel accomplished first thing in the morning. If I don't do it, I feel lazy all day.
ReplyDeleteSomething I started doing at work that I have carried into my personal life, is that when the days feel busy, I pick 1-3 things that need to get done that day no matter what - and those define whether I was successful or not that day. No more than 3! They can be big ticket items but usually are small (like responding to a text or making a phone call to someone, running a certain errand, making a plan for something I need to tackle, completing a project, etc.) If I get those 1-3 things done then I feel accomplished for the day.
I also feel accomplished when I have completed a particular project or goal that wasn't easy for me to achieve. Or when I can look back over a period of time and recognize measurable improvement. Examples include when I rode my bike out to Ally's & Spencer's a couple of years ago; completing two mosaic mirrors this year (the largest pieces I have ever worked on); being able to do exercises in my strength training class now that I couldn't do when I first started the class; attending the temple twice a month; etc.
Doing a temple trip is a huge accomplishment, I agree, Annie!
DeleteI feel accomplished with little things… When all of the laundry is put away before heading to bed (even though that’s usually thanks to Shawn; not me -he’s a STUD), if I pull off making dinner for my family AND another family (or truthfully just my family 🤪), when dumb projects around the house get done. It’s the best 🙌🏻
ReplyDeleteI like lists-well mostly I like crossing tasks off the lists-then I feel like I have accomplished things that I felt needed to be done. And if I don't get my list completed but do get some other things done that come up during the day, & if those feel like worthwhile tasks, I write them on my list so I can cross them off! I'm with Annie-I always try to start my day with my bed made & the house straightened up, read my scriptures, and I love to do a Jazzercise session before I get going with the rest of my day. My goal this year is to be more prayerful about asking Heavenly Father in prayer what He needs me to accomplish each day, and then really listen to His answers for me instead of just informing Him of my plans for the day. This is certainly a work in process.
ReplyDeleteI hate lists, but Shawn loves them and uses them frequently; now I know why 😍
DeleteAnd yes to making all the beds 🙌🏻🙌🏻 The day absolutely can not start till that’s done.
I used to feel accomplished by winning - by getting the highest grades, or by winning a client or a motion or an appeal or a trial or a settlement. I still feel motivated by, and I still get a lot of emotional mileage from, winning, but as I get older, other things are becoming more important:
ReplyDelete1) Bob Boren taught me years ago not to set goals, but to set habits. Goals are so often dependent on people and things that are outside our control. Establishing habits are much more likely to be within our control. So, my daily habits are: scripture reading, exercise, meditation, family history, working on my calling, and walking the dogs (and attending to the bees and chickens in the warm weather). I don't spend a lot of time on those things - usually just 15 minutes or so on each thing, but it adds up. It adds up to a decent chunk of time each day, and its surprising how much you can do in a month or a year with small segments of time employed consistently.
2) Raising teenagers and serving in my current calling have helped me understand that accomplishment (success) is richer when I empower others. My kids or the youth I work with or members of my ward. When they make good choices, reach important milestones, or simply are engaged in good works, I feel a profound sense of accomplishment because it is a shared success.
This year I have thought a lot about being more consistent. Obviously having a clear and meaningful purpose associated with short and long term goals helps with being consistent. I have always viewed myself as more of an entrepreneur than a technician and so I end up having a lot of things that I consider pursuing. Sometimes through that pursuit I get bored and want to move onto something else. A few years ago I got a step counter for work for a wellness program only because the company was offering a cash incentive. One lesson I learned from it was that when I had a day where I didn't take as many steps as I should have, I looked back at the past and realize how many I had done for a long time. It gave me an opportunity instead to feel grateful and accomplished even though either today or yesterday I might have missed the mark.
ReplyDeleteI feel most accomplished when I can get showered and get my makeup on before the kids wake up, especially if I have already exercised! Once they wake up and need me, it's really hard to get around to it. But if I can have that done before anyone needs me, I get a lot more of my to-do list crossed off that day.
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