The journey to experiencing felt accomplishment is a transformative one. It's not just about getting from point A to point B but rather about who we become along the way. For high-achievers, accomplishment often goes hand in hand with self-evolution. We change, adapt, and grow, but it's helpful to deconstruct this process, to understand better what leads to those feelings of accomplishment and how we can cultivate more of such moments in our lives.
Accomplishment Deconstructed
Looking back at your own moments of accomplishment, what threads bind them together? For many high achievers, they are times of external markers coming together in a specific way that enables them to sit within the moment and connect with a conscious presence in recognition of what they have achieved. And in doing so giving themselves permission to appreciate that moment in which they did create. It’s the learnt ability of ‘savouring the moment’.
To foster such moments, internal transformation is required. The need to forever hustle for instance, may need to be cast aside to ensure a sense of appreciation can be connected with. Fear of failure or perfectionism that leads to nothing ever quite being good enough for according to your own expectations must be shed. At the same time, acceptance and letting go of control need to be nurtured, equipping you to receive healthy support, connection, and arriving at the outcome together as a team.
Self-Transformation for Growth
But how can we translate this self-awareness into action? By exploring which specific characteristics and attributes you need to shift or develop, you can reflect on daily or weekly outcomes that embody the traits you wish to cultivate.
Here are some examples:
Saying no to extra tasks that keep you busy - developing healthy boundaries.
Eliminating silent contracts which means to express those expectations you have that others previously had no idea were in place - Reduce opportunity for judgement and disappointment.
Choosing to hand over your team to deliver on a project - Letting go of the need to control and enhancing a learning environment
Saying yes to your time, even when your to-do list has not been completed - Learning to focus on what is important.
Powerful Self-Acknowledgements
The major step in transforming these outcomes into markers of personal success is powerful self-acknowledgements. These are focused on areas you have control over, stated in the positive, linked to attributes you are intentionally developing, and tied to a specific goal or outcome.
For instance:
I practised communicating a personal boundary in the face of discomfort.
I communicated my preferences (needs), even when uncomfortable in the face of being rejected.
I prioritised myself and put myself first a sat with the discomfort of feeling like I hadn’t done enough (that I am not enough).
These acknowledgements serve not just as a pat on the back, but as affirmations of your growth, crystallising your transformation and creating a positive feedback loop to further fuel your development.
Cultivating accomplishment is a journey of self-transformation that turns high-achievers into exemplary leaders and fulfilled individuals. The key is conscious self-evolution and the deliberate fostering of characteristics that lead to success.
By deconstructing accomplishment, creating opportunities for growth, and using powerful self-acknowledgements, we can steer our evolution in the direction of experiencing more success and fulfilment through everything that we do.
The road to accomplishment might not always be easy, but the person you become along the way makes the journey worthwhile.
This article is a summary theme from a module within the 4-Week Elite Life Challenge. Access the Full Recorded Challenge here. Or for further reading, download ThreeToxic Lies: That Keep You Busy, Stressed, and Unfulfilled.