Acknowledging Your Own Accomplishments

"Commit to acknowledging your achievements and your brain will begin to tell you the truth... that you can do ANYTHING!" Jack Canfield

A few years ago at Agape a guest speaker, Rhonda Britten, gave us two assignments to do as we head into the New Year. The first was to write 100 Acknowledgments -- basically 100 things we can pat ourselves on the back for having done over the past year. The other assignment was to write a list of 100 things we're grateful for. These are great exercises to engage in as you enter into a new year and gee... a new decade. I've already written about the importance of gratitude, but why is it important to acknowledge our accomplishments? In the book The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, Canfield writes about research showing that the more you acknowledge your past successes, the more confident you are in taking on and accomplishing new challenges. He says that simply knowing you’ve had successes in the past gives you the self confidence that you’ll have more in the future. Noting your accomplishments also helps you see your strengths, uncover clues as to your next steps, and notice patterns for determining your future direction.

I first heard Rhonda Britten discuss these exercises in 2005 and have used them yearly for the past 4 years. Earlier this year I also started noting my own accomplishments on a daily basis. I have a little "accomplishments" journal that I use to note all the steps I'm taking in the direction of my dreams, my victories (big & small), and my manifestations. I use this journal to in the ways I've noted above, but also to remind myself that I'm moving in the right direction.

As we enter into this new year, why don't you sit down and practice Rhonda Britten's exercises? You may not be able to do it all in one sitting, but commit to doing this by New Year's Day. You may also want to commit to keeping a daily, weekly, or monthly accomplishments or success log. When you do, remember that your accomplishments don't all have to be huge. You should definitely note the "biggies" like graduations, awards won, securing great jobs, having children, or getting married. But equally important are noting the "little things" like the really great talk with your spouse, volunteering, spending quality time with your teenager, completing your to-do list, learning to change your own oil, throwing a successful party, or getting your fussy child to eat broccoli.

As we enter this new year, remember and note your past accomplishments and commit to noting your future successes. Doing so will keep your confidence and your spirits high, and that always leads to more success.