Who keeps a done list? We all should. – A Year in Review

done listDecember always brings with it an onslaught of “Looking Back”, “Year in Review” or “Best of 20??” lists.

It never fails to amaze me how much that we can ‘forget’ happened in a particular year. When there is so much that we still want to get done remembering all the day-in and day-out work that we have accomplished is difficult. We often get so fixated on the work that is in our ‘to-do’ pile that we forget (and disregard) the work that is in our ‘done’ pile.

I’m not suggesting that anyone stop actively pursuing his or her to-do pile.  To come full stop, throw a “look-how-much-I’ve done” party and dwell exclusively on one’s own ‘done’ pile can lead dangerously toward entitlement. I believe entitlement is the antithesis of hard work and thus performance.

The challenge is to keep looking and moving forward and to stay connected with all that you’ve accomplished in the past. (hmmm. There’s that “Jammed Cat” again! See the video.)

Staying connected to the volume of work that we’ve already done and the tasks that we have accomplished helps us manage the stress that we put on ourselves as we push forward. Each of the tasks in our ‘done’ pile accumulates like a ‘grain of rice filling a cup’. They all contribute to our confidence as we continue to push forward and through our increasingly busy and challenging ‘to-do’ list; so why would we ever forget a single one?

Since January of this year, I’ve been writing a monthly mentor message that is directed at athletes and their support team who have been training for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Their preparations began well before this series started but my goal was to become another resource for them to know that they are part of a bigger team, that they are not alone in their highly ambitious efforts and (I can’t stress this one enough -) that it is normal people like them who accomplish incredible things. The goal is for them to be absolutely comfortable with all of their ambitions.

With that in mind – I’ve jumped to the front of the “Year in Review line. Possibly the first of the year, (I still like being first 😉 )  Have a great December,

Marnie

Mentor Messages – A Year in Review Continue reading