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Calm in the Chaos - Tips for a Better Life

Top 10 Hit List of Your Success


Don't overlook or diminish your successes and accomplishments. Being proud of yourself will motivate you to continue your growth and improvement.
Trophy for success and accomplishments

by Jamie Spannhake

May 09, 2021


Calm in the Chaos - Tips for a Better Life

Top 10 Hit List of Your Success


Don't overlook or diminish your successes and accomplishments. Being proud of yourself will motivate you to continue your growth and improvement.

by Jamie Spannhake

May 09, 2021


Trophy for success and accomplishments

Many of us overachievers love to strive, grow, and improve. We like challenging ourselves and constantly push ourselves to reach new goals. We are driven and self-motivated.

Those are the positive attributes.

Where we sometimes fall short is savoring our successes, or even remembering them. As soon as we achieve one goal, we move on to the next. When we think about what we've accomplished, our focus often lands on what we haven't yet achieved rather than taking stock of our accomplishments.

When we diminish our accomplishments like this, we are doing ourselves a disservice. The feelings that success brings can motivate us and lead to greater success. Brushing those feelings aside can be demoralizing as it keeps us in a perpetual state of striving and never feeling satisfied.

Of course, I am describing myself. Though this is something I am working to improve.

If you tend to diminish your accomplishments, here's a few suggestions (and I'll take my own advice here).

1. Be present in the moment of success.

When you achieve something - big or small - relish the moment and be present in it. Did you just walk a mile? Good for you. Be proud of that moment. Did you submit a proposal that you worked really hard to complete? Take a moment to celebrate that accomplishment. Did you organize your closet, graduate from school, publish a book, or plan a vacation? Take stock of the amount of time, energy, and effort and be proud of your success.

2. Review your successes at the end of each day, week, month, and year.

When I feel myself falling into the trap of overlooking my own accomplishments, I review my day before bed. Rather than thinking about all the things that I didn't do that day, I focus on all the things that went well and that I accomplished. I find this helpful to do each week, each month, and particularly - each year. It motivates me to keep improving when I see all that I have managed and how I have improved. It also helps me plan for the future in two ways: one, seeing where I've been helps me determine where I want to go; and, two, seeing how I had success helps me decide how to continue improving.

3. Keep a Top 10 Hits list.

This is for dire moments when we feel like we never do anything - those days when we feel like a failure. For those moments, we need written proof of our successes. Take a few minutes to write down ten of your most important or biggest successes - the ones that are most impressive to YOU. Keep this list somewhere handy, like in your journal, or your nightstand drawer, or on your phone or computer. When you are having a "woe is me" day, pull out the list and see that you have been, are, and will be successful.

Final Tip: Just because it's done doesn't mean it was easy.

I often fall into the trap of thinking that whatever I accomplished isn't a big deal because I did it, and it didn't seem all that difficult. Wrote a book? Yeah. Moved to NYC from a small town in MS? Yeah. Survived fertility treatments and finally had a baby. Yep. They don't seem that difficult now that they are done. But they are accomplishments of which I should be proud. 

Be proud of yourself. Give yourself your due. You are amazing!

Let's Chat!

How do you as a busy professional find time for personal and professional success? I'd like the opportunity to support you in your journey. Email me or schedule a 30 minute call if you'd like a cheerleader, accountability partner, and guide to help you on the way

Lion Life CoachingI coach busy professionals so they can achieve more while doing less; so they can create the lives they truly want, lives that include time and space to work the way they want, to spend time with their kids, to laugh with friends, and to exercise every day: Time and space to do all the things I was told I couldn’t do as a successful lawyer. My work with clients is based upon the principles in my book, The Lawyer, the Lion, & the Laundry: Three Hours to Finding Your Calm in the Chaos, available at www.JamieSpannhake.com. Learn more about how we can transform your every day, and apply for my coaching program here

 

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