It's About Appreciation, Not Achievement

It's about Appreciation, not Achievement
Have you ever found yourself waiting for something “good” to happen so that you could be happy? “When I get that promotion, lose those ten pounds, fall in love, graduate from school, pay off my debt, have a baby, buy a house, accomplish that big goal, etc…then, I will be happy!” Sound familiar?

Most of us can relate to this type of thinking. However, this never quite works out, does it? Either we do accomplish our goal, only to find out that in and of itself, the accomplishment did not make us genuinely happy. Or, we do not achieve what we were after and we use our failure as evidence for our unhappiness. It is a classic lose-lose situation.

Having goals and going after them is a wonderfully important and exciting aspect of life. It is also essential to our ability to create success. However, we must remember that fulfillment comes from appreciation, not from achievement. Even our biggest accomplishments are meaningless if we do not appreciate them and appreciate ourselves in the process.

If you think of every goal or dream that you currently have, underneath each one of them is a desire for appreciation. We want to achieve these great things because we think they will make us feel good about ourselves and our lives. What if we started with appreciation? Instead of trying to achieve things to appreciate, we could start appreciating ourselves, our lives, and life in general, right now! If we stop and take inventory of our lives right now, even in the areas where we have challenges or where we have things we want to achieve, there is so much for us to appreciate.

When we remember that it is this appreciation we are really after, not achievement, it makes it easier for us to stop and enjoy what is happening and it takes away some of the intense pressure we put on ourselves. Ironically, with this pressure released and our focus on appreciation, where it belongs, achievement becomes much easier and more fulfilling.

ACTION: What you can do

Make an appreciation list. Ask yourself the question, “What is great about my life?” The list will be your answer to this question. If you are willing to be honest and courageous, your list will be very, very long. Specifically in the areas where things are challenging and/or you find yourself waiting to achieve something in order to be happy, see how many things you can find about those areas of your life or those specific desires that you appreciate right now! Have fun! As a bonus challenge, share your list with other people in your life.