How often do you set goals for yourself? I’m willing to bet pretty often, even if you don’t do it in a structured way. Growing a business, and many times managing life in general, is based on setting milestones, reaching them, then moving on to the next one.
Now, answer this one: How often do you stop to recognize your success? I bet not very often, especially for your everyday wins. If you do recognize your accomplishments, is it more than just a fleeting pat on the back before you move on to the next item on your list?
An entirely underestimated part of goal setting and success is recognizing your accomplishments. Without taking time to appreciate and celebrate your successes, it’s way too easy to fall into complacency, become bored and dissatisfied, and eventually burn out.
One of the ways I try to track my victories is – no surprise here – through my lists. True to my list-loving nature, I have lists for my goals, lists for my progress and lists reminding me of my big wins. My victory tracking takes the form of a brag list that I take a peek at and savor for a few minutes when I need a boost or I’m in the midst of a particularly challenging project. And not only does this help me see at a glance how far I have come, but it reminds me what I’m capable of and how much I can accomplish.
But what about you? Do you track your accomplishments, and if so, how?
Image credit: lusi
Hi Alyssa,
What a timely topic. As women, we are way too good at recognizing our weaknesses and berating ourselves for them. Your post serves as a reminder that we need to recognize our successes and strengths too.
Several months ago, I began working with a fabulous coach. It soon became obvious that not only did I have things falling through the cracks, but as I expressed to my coach, I felt like I wasn’t getting anything done.
To keep things from falling through the cracks, I started paper to-do lists. That didn’t work because I kept losing the lists — LOL — so I decided to put my to-do lists into Microsoft Outlook. Not only am I now able to keep track of what I should be doing and when, but putting the list into Outlook had the added benefit of my being able to see that I am indeed getting things done. Woo Hoo! Every time I meet with my coach, I now proudly tell her what I accomplished during the week. That feels a whole lot better than telling her how much I didn’t accomplish.
Keep those posts coming Alyssa; I devour each and every one of them.
=>Donna Caissie, the ExtraOrdinary VA
http://www.extra-assist.com
http://www.extra-assist.com/blog
http://www.linkedin.com/in/donnacaissie
Thanks for your comment, Donna. It’s nice to hear that I’m not alone with my list-making fanaticism!