Reflection on Accomplishments in 2015
Having spent the day with my family, I asked them about the year that has just passed. “How was 2015?” I asked my mother. She smiled politely for a few seconds. Then, her smile faded and she started up…her complaints about the year. She listed everything that went wrong. Eventually, after a long while, she fell silent. It was just about time because I was ready to interrupt her seemingly endless list of complaints. “So, what went right?” I asked somewhat hesitantly. “I don’t know,” my mother answered, apparently uninterested in thinking about anything positive that may have happened.
This experience made me think about accomplishments. I curled up by her fireplace and started to make a list of my own accomplishments. Here is the list. I published my book, “Real Life Choices” (2015). I entered four short story competitions. In one of these competitions, I made it into the top group. This means that my story, “Just Business” was published by Polar Expressions, in a collection of short stories called Wherever We Roam (2015). I created a Goodreads account and a Twitter account. I increased the number of friends, contacts and followers on Facebook, Linkedin and WordPress. I started writing my next novel. I also wrote 23 poems and 75 blogs. I handed out hundreds of business cards to people who were curious about my books. I began the process of returning to graduate school to finish my PhD. I have read over a dozen books. I am close to completing a happiness project for the year. Have I mentioned yet that I also work a 42 hour/ week full time job?
I ended my contemplation on my accomplishments with a great feeling. It was, and still is, so wonderful to recognize the things that I did and went well! It is so much better than creating a list of complaints. My accomplishments made me realize that I don’t mind doing as much as I do because I love them. I love the English language, even though it is not my first language, and I love writing and reading. I am happy being a writer and a reader. My list of accomplishments also makes me appreciate the fact that I spent the year well doing what I love!
So, what are your accomplishments? Have you made a list, yet? Are you happy with your list? If you are not, what are you going to do differently to make sure that you will be happy with next year’s list?
