I am marking and celebrating my accomplishments
Tonight I have the opportunity to celebrate with some students who are graduating with a Master's Degree. Because I have often have a tendency to focus more on the areas that I feel I come up short in life I have sometimes missed taking the opportunity to recognize when I accomplish something important. When I earned my 2 year associates degree I did not bother going to the graduation proceedings. When I finally finished my 4 year degree I was again reluctant to go.
Despite all of the time and effort it required to finish, the gremlins whispered in my head- "you took too long," "you could have done better," "what's the big deal, lots of people do it," "what makes you think you're special." Those thoughts diminish my accomplishments and the underlying message is that what I have done is not enough. If I allow that feeling to become prevalent in my life it might even lead me to avoid trying anything that could be perceived as difficult.
Marking and celebrating my achievements along the long and difficult journey of life helps to remind me that I am enough. It reminds me that how far I have come is much more important than how far I have left to go. A celebration provides opportunity to reflect, feel gratitude for the help received along the way, and to mark the transition into a new phase or challenge. Today I choose to see my best efforts as enough and to take time to honor the work I have done and those that have helped me through.
I think it is sometimes just as important to celebrate the small victories in life as it is the things that they make Hallmark cards for. Have I continued practicing something that is difficult for me and not given up? Acknowledge it! Even though I am not where I want to be, am I now pointing in the direction I want to go and working towards my goals? Yay! Have you just barely hung on and made it through a difficult struggle that stretched and tested you further than you thought possible? Celebrate it!
What achievement needs to be celebrated in your journey today?
When I finished my undergrad I didn't walk. I regretted that, so when I got my MBA I walked. However, I notice that I often downplay the accomplishment of my graduate degree because of the gremlins in my life. I definitely need to learn to celebrate my accomplishments and allow myself to experience the joy related to those accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you decided to walk for the MBA. That is a huge accomplishment! When I downplay my accomplishments I feel diminished and unable to recognize my hard work. Thanks for sharing Tyler.
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