10 Reasons you Should Write a List of Achievements

I love writing my personal List of Achievements every year. It is a part of saying good bye to the previous year in a celebratory and kind way. For me it takes quite a while to get everything listed, mostly because I go back in the blog archive a lot, but it is so worth it!

I think you should write your own list this year! If you need a nudge to get started I listed 10 below, and it’s never too late to start your list. If you haven’t kept record so far, just start now and write down everything you remember.

If you are curious of what such a list is, I wrote my definition of what an Achievements List is here:

[List of Achievements]
a personal list of creative projects started, worked on, or finished, during a full year. it’s invitations you said yes to, opportunities you embraced, things you took in, learned from, or taught others.

The most important thing to remember is to stay positive. Only include life-affirming, precious, good choices and things (it doesn’t matter if they are small or big achievements as long as they make you happy) on your list!

So, why should you write a List of Achievements? Here’s why:

1. it is okay to do so

If you think this list idea smells of bragging you are dead wrong my friend (not that I think a little bragging is a bad thing, tooting your own horn from time to time is great, especially for those of us who are not great at it)! But the list is not about telling others how great you are, it is about reminding yourself how awesome you are! It is okay to list your achievements, in fact it is pretty cool. And if you want to share it, do it proudly.

Because being proud is better than the opposite.

2. being grateful is healthy

Listing places you have visited, people you have meet, notebooks you have filled, or articles you have written (and published?), will help you be grateful for the life you have. And being grateful is the best way towards more happiness. I’m taking that road as we speak!

3. your list will surprise you

Start writing the list even if you think it will be unimportant, stupid or way to short to share. You need to remember that a year is long time (365 days of small achievements ends up being a lot). Once you start looking back on what you did back in January, February, March and so on, your list will grow and it will surprise you!

4. celebrate your achievements

If you don’t like the word achievement, call your list a list of happiness, a celebratory list of awesomeness, or a year in review list! Just write it. And celebrate your achievements, because celebrating the grand and the everyday feels good!

5. You Are Awesome

If you need a boost of confidence, your list of achievements will give you that, I promise. You will be reminded of how awesome you are when you compile your list, and in coming years when you read it again. And even if you feel like you did nothing with your life this year, I bet you did a lot.

6. You did A LOT

Yes, you did a lot of fun, creative, awesome things! Okay? Maybe you read a lot of new books, painted, doodled, called your friends, cooked dinners, baked bread, re-potted your plants, read the newspaper every day (that impresses the shit out me!), took a step or two outside your comfort zone, sewed, instagrammed your life, dressed up, painted your nails, wrote blog posts, did research, took a class, challenged yourself, got a promotion…

7. list writing is always fun

List writing is the best way to journal, and the cheapest self-help you’ll ever get.

8. document the positive

If you are having a hard time remembering what you created and did this year, that is a good reminder to start writing down the things you do each month, so that you can write a bigger, better and longer list of achievements next year. When you document the positive, you become more positive (even when shit happens to you all the time)!

9. aid your future memory

Writing it down will help you remember it. Writing it in list form will probably ensure you keep it and read it more often than you look through old journals… Print and save it for future memory aid.

10. planning the future

Did you know you can only dream for the future using what you have already experienced or seen? Dreams are not born out of thin air. So looking at what made you happy will help you plan for more happiness in the future. Knowing how much you can achieve in just one short year, will help you set new goals for the coming years!

Todays Writing Prompt

Todays writing prompt, if you choose to accept it, is: Write your own list. Go do it now. What have you achieved in the past year? List everything that made you happy!

We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams.
Les Brown

Some advice on How to Write the List

I don’t know how (or if) you document your life, but go back through that documentation month by month to compile your list. Keep a notepad close by and write down what has been important to you. What did you do right? What felt good? What are you proud of? When you reach December, you’re done.

This is how I do it. I document my life in several ways and at the end of the year I take the time to read through almost everything. I read what I wrote on my blog, in my diary, and the DIY calendar pages of course. I also browse through most of the photos I took during the year. You can read more about how I end my year here.

Do you write such a list already, or will you this year? Let me know how it goes, or if you have any questions.