Look what you've done!

How did you hear that statement? Did it hit your brain with an accusatory tone and have you wondering what you’d screwed up now? Or did it come with a tone of celebration and put a big, proud smile on your face? If you know me at all, you’ve rightly guessed that it’s the latter I want to talk about today.

I am an unapologetic type-A personality. I’m driven. I like to get things done - a LOT of things done. I love making progress and moving forward and I’m nearly always focused on what’s next. That’s good thing, right? Well, yes and no. I often forget to reflect on what I’ve accomplished and there’s great value in doing that – value that extends far beyond the warm fuzzy of acknowledging what I’ve accomplished. There’s learnings in those reflections!

Start with the what. What did you actually accomplish? Take inventory. In what ways does it compare to what you wanted to or thought you would accomplish? What do you feel as you look at your list of accomplishments? Then shift to the how. How did you accomplish it? How did you learn the things you needed to learn to make it happen? How did you try new things? How did you employ new strategies? Pay extra special attention to this bit – this is what you will build on for the next round of “do”. Now think about your why. Why did you try that thing? Why were you successful at this, now?

Looking at what you’ve done gives you an enormous leg up on what’s coming. Don’t leave those great gifts behind as you keep moving forward.