A Pat on the Back While Staying On Track

“Hey, Brent. I’ve had a history of working really hard to reach a particular goal in my life and then quickly moving on to the next task at hand. Many people have told me that I don’t take the time to enjoy my successes or feel pride about how much effort it took to achieve it. I personally don’t think it’s necessary for me to sit back and waste time reveling in my accomplishments to feel proud of achieving them. How would doing that benefit me and why do people think I need to change my patterns?”

It sounds like they may be concerned you are not fully appreciating your achievements. Some people appear to be singularly focused on attaining a goal as quickly as possible with as little resistance and effort necessary. Very few of us want to work harder than we need to, but rushing to get things done comes with unique pitfalls. Thankfully there are very few things that require only one “correct” way, but I think I can help to bring up a different perspective about your concern. There’s a big difference between running from project to project and resting too long on your successes, patting yourself on the back, and waiting for the adoration from others.

Take a moment and think about the road you must travel to successfully achieve something. Figuring out a personal desire, developing a well-crafted plan, showing the perseverance to continue fighting when things get challenging, and eventually emerging triumphant based on your efforts are all aspects we may experience when working to reach a goal. We face challenges and our own insecurities while forging ahead and may need to develop different methods or our tactics completely to achieve what we want. All of these things take creativity, strength, and heart.

Many feel we may benefit more from the process of working to reach a goal or achieve something more than simply the pride in attaining it. In many ways, the process we go through in working to gain various successes can enrich our lives more than just the delight of sweet victory. The emotional elation, self-esteem building, and desire to run around getting high-fives from your buddies are just a few of the benefits of allowing ourselves to take the time to reflect on our achievements.

Taking time to evaluate the process can have a significant impact on our lives. It is so much more than how many things we can achieve or how many times we can win. It speaks to our ability to be strong in the face of difficulties, to overcome situations that can be painful or frustrating, and to develop the confidence that we can get those things we truly want through perseverance and hard work.

Thankfully, life isn’t always a mad dash on Black Friday to get a killer deal. There are times when slowing down to experience situations from a different perspective or evaluating things more closely can really benefit us. It’s fine to be delighted about the efforts we have put into getting what we want, but don’t spend too much time prancing around like a proud peacock. Take the time to enjoy your victory, get some rest, then prepare for the set of things to tackle.