How do we fuel our motivation to realize goals we’ve set? How do we maintain the energy we need to stay committed to our dreams? How do we keep a positive and enthusiastic attitude to the daily ups and downs of reaching our potential? You may be surprised with this suggestion!
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
Well the year is slowly creeping to a close and in January we’ll launch another year of possibilities where I think everyone is giddy with dreams of reaching their potential. But before the new year arrives with a clean slate, this time of year I find myself looking back on how the year has gone. Sadly, I quickly turn my focus to my shortcomings. What I struggled with. Where I completely failed and gave up. Where I gave minimal effort at finishing.
Let me tell you, that honestly, these thoughts suck! I have feelings of disappointment, shame, frustration and defeat! It’s not a good place to be and really puts a damper on my usally (and much preferred) positive outlook. Because dwelling on what’s already passed me by keeps me from moving on and making corrections for a more spectacular result.
I allow myself some time, just a little bit, to review what I wrestled with. And then… I learned to stop and ask, “OK, there are places I failed, but where did I excel? What did I succeed at and where did my efforts prosper? What are new skills I learned? Where did I charge forward with new opportunities that came my way and had amazing results? What goals did I reach?”
Listen, if we don’t take a moment to list what we’ve done well and appreciate the value of the energy, discipline and creativity that delivered our success and improvements made, we lose out on the emotions we can use to steel our determination as we move forward with awesome new goals!
The practice of a public celebration in business is particularly helpful by announcing to the world why they should work for you or do business for you. Well, in my opinion it needs to be done for ourselves too, albeit more privately, by reinforcing the belief in our potential to reach our goals and why we’re capable of anything!
It’s time we celebrate our progress however big or small for staying the course. Read on about why this simple practice is important and how it helps us achieve more future success.
- Reinforces repeating the actions, thoughts or attitudes that helped you achieve your current goal and applying it to other dreams and desires. So, we want to do more of it!
- Fortifies our mindset that we’re a winner and we are competent and capable of producing positive results.
- Success fuels motivation for more success and helps keep us striving onward and upward.
- Scientists have proved our brain releases dopamine when we achieve or predict achieving our goal, so this happy drug is released in our brains and we get the reward of happy feelings. A natural and healthy high! FABULOUS!
So, take time this September, to review where you were rocking out the year because reflecting on the things we nailed is the best way to gauge our growth and its gasoline for firing up our future success!
Keep it Simple,
Just Teri
jtjustteri.wordpress.com 
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