For quite a few weeks we’ve been talking about the PERMA(H) model of flourishing:
P – Positive emotions, like hope, joy, love, etc.
E – Engagement with the the world, work or hobbies
R – Relationships that are deep and meaningful
M – Meaning; finding purpose and meaning in life
A – Accomplishments; achieving goals through cultivating strengths and talents
H – Physical health
This week we’re focusing on accomplishments.
Accomplishments are one way we can feel progress in life. Working toward our goals helps us cultivate strengths and talents.
We won’t be talking about how to set goals this week (maybe we’ll cover that in the future).
Whether we’re working on BHAGs – Big Hairy Audacious Goals – or small goals or even the goal of establishing new habits, there are only a few things that matter.
The goal only needs to matter to you
In order to feel that sense of accomplishment, you need to work toward things that matter to you. That may sound obvious, but I’m sure there have been times in your life that you’ve worked toward something because you thought you should or it seemed important to someone else.
Whether it’s a tiny goal or a huge one, make sure it’s something that matters to you.
Make a conscious decision to move forward with your goal
By consciously setting your sights on what you want to accomplish, you’re much more likely to get there. You don’t need to let anyone else know of your goal, unless you want to, but it’s important for you to acknowledge what you’re working toward.
Track your progress
Most likely there will be little steps and accomplishments along the way. Even for a tiny goal, there are small wins as you progress to the ultimate destination.
Sometimes, it’s enough to verbally or mentally acknowledge progress.
For instance, I have a tiny goal of mastering eating with chopsticks. When I manage to eat a whole meal without grabbing for my fork, I note that for myself with a mental “good job!”.
For larger goals, it’s helpful to track in a more purposeful way. Maybe take photos of your progress, journal your journey or use a habit tracker to check off successes.
Celebrate wins
Celebrating along the way to your goal can be very motivating. Some people like to set up a reward system for themselves and they work toward those rewards.
When I participated in National Novel Writing Month, I heard of many people using this technique. However, I didn’t find it motivational to work for a reward. To me, the reward was hitting the word counts on time. I did acknowledge and celebrate those wins though, just not with a reward.
Accomplishments need to be fresh
We need to always be working on goals, large and small, so that we can have that sense of accomplishment.
Even if we’ve done a large thing in the past that we’re very proud of, we still need new accomplishments in order for us to feel forward momentum in life.
A Note
You may be in a place right now where trying to accomplish anything feels exhausting and overwhelming.
When we hit those times in life, it’s important to remember that just taking care of ourselves can be the goal. Getting up and out of bed. Making a meal. Taking care of what we can.
We all have times in our lives when the goals and accomplishments get scaled way back. It’s still important to acknowledge those for ourselves and to realize that it won’t always be this way.