0
"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" by Richard Carlson
7 years ago Redefine a Meaningful Accomplishment
"Sometimes it's easy to carried away with our so-called accomplishments. We spend our lifetimes collecting achievements, earning praise and recognition, and seeking approval -- so much so the we lose sight of what is truly meaningful.
"If you ask the average person (as I have done many times), "What is a meaningful accomplishment?" the typical responses will be things like, "Achieving a long-term goal," "earning lots of money," "winning a game," "getting a promotion," "being the best," "earning praise," and so forth. The emphasis is almost always on the external aspects of life --- things that happen outside of ourselves. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with these types of accomplishments -- they are a way of keeping score and improving our circumstances. They are not, however, the most important types of accomplishments if your primary goal is one of happiness and inner peace. Seeing your photograph in the local newspaper might be a nice thing to achieve but isn't as meaningful as learning to stay centered in the face of adversity. Yet many people would point to their photo in the paper as being a great accomplishment, but wouldn't necessarily think of "staying centered" as an accomplishment at all. Where are your priorities?"
