Feeling satisfaction about what we do in our lives is an essential element to happiness. Our self-esteem is often based on how effectively we overcome the challenges of life and achieve goals we have set for ourselves. Often we set goals that are quite ambitious and long-reaching, and we feel very proud when we have achieved them. All anyone has to do is to look at the wall postings on a social networking site like Facebook to know that there are a lot of people out there who feel pride in their life accomplishments.
However, long-term goal achievement isn't the only way to achieve satisfaction in life. The pursuit of the perfect job, a beautiful home and family, or even completion of a marathon or triathlon are things that can take time to accomplish, and though they are marvelous and important achievements to reach for, they don't necessarily provide short-term happiness and daily peace.
This is why I counsel my clients to look at the value of "small successes" in their daily lives. Small successes are occurrences of positive events in your day-to-day existence that may seem trivial to others on the surface, but can help you to build and maintain self-esteem and keep you on a positive track to achieve those greater goals you have set for yourself.
Examples of small successes I have had recently include: I made my wife smile because I sold that old car, I promptly read the research journal that I always procrastinate on getting to, I cooked the perfect pancake for breakfast, and I learned how to play "Silent Lucidity" on my guitar. Trivial? Sure, to others perhaps, but these seemingly minor events sure made me feel better about things.
Embrace the small successes in your life today.
Be healthy, my friends.
http://upandrunningatl.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment