I am sure that everyone who reads my bullets (or my books) is really busy, all day, every day. In fact right about now the year starts to turn into one big blur. We forget much of what has happened and have trouble recalling what it was we have actually been doing so frantically for the past ten or so months. It can often feel like we are simply treading water and not really getting ahead.
I think that it is really important to stop every so often and actually acknowledge what it is we have achieved. I do this in a very visual way. I have a white board in my office that serves as my “AG BIZ HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2009″. At the moment it has 12 circles on it with the things I am proud of achieving so far this year. For me these are the milestones like the publication of certain books, a trip to the USA to see publishers, winning new clients, conferences that were special, meeting certain people and so on.
Really it is all of the things that I am really happy about in my business during the year, all staring back at me from my white board. On the days when it feels like I haven’t really been able to achieve much during the year, a quick glance at my highlights board and I can’t help but get a warm fuzzy satisfied feeling.
It makes sense to actually apply this idea to every aspect of our life, but I find that business is one of those areas where it can often feel like we are not getting anywhere. In fact we are moving ahead in giant leaps, but we need to be reminded about what it is we actually achieved – or in other words, we need to be able to measure progress.
Give this a go and see how it makes you feel. Come up with your own BIZ HIGHLIGHTS BOARD FOR 2009 and feel great about what it is that you have achieved. Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it.
I hope that you have a truly spectacular week.
A fantastic reminder Andrew. I am constantly encouraging students to recognise what they have achieved, when they are feeling overwhelmed.
I draw them a picture, usually of a mountain range, each slope peak and valley representing part of their journey. I ask them to turn around to see what they have traversed! To stand in awe of their perseverance. And to not be so bloody ungrateful to Themselves ~:-)
Sometimes it is all too easy to not realise that one is kicking goals~ and this non-realisation puts us in the way of our Selves.
As for me~ this year has been a wonderful thrilling challenging awesome adventure and many goals long awaited have been achieved. So fortunate am I to have many times been able to share the treasures and bounty I’ve encountered along the way.
Thanks for sharing Char. Real nice stuff. Have a great week – Andrew