Gratitude for Personal Accomplishments

Taking Time to Appreciate

One day at work, I told my boss I was stressed, and feeling like there were just never enough hours in the day to get everything done. She encouraged me to make a weekly success list to remind myself that really was accomplishing a lot. 

It worked so well as an end-of-the-week exercise, I started doing this for life in general as well. As we enter the time of year when people focus on their shortcomings and what they'd like to resolve to do better in the new year, I decided to first list 50 things, large and small, I accomplished this year. 

Fistbumps to celebrate accomplishments!

50 Accomplishments This Year 

1. Attended new high school freshman orientation with my daughter and lived to tell the tale.
2. Booked my first Air BNB.
3. Bought a new car.
4. Braced for an emergency airplane landing during a work trip and walked away unscathed.
5. Celebrated my 9th wedding anniversary with my lovely husband.
6. Checked out two new grocery stores.
7. Completed the 60-day fitness challenge at my gym.
8. Created a joint email address for my household.
9. De-crapped our entire downstairs by going through all drawers, cabinets and closets.
10. Donated 23 bags of unneeded stuff to charity.
11. Enjoyed seeing the Minneapolis skyline at night from the view at Windows on Minnesota.
12. Enrolled in TSA Pre Check (which is the best $85 I have ever spent).
13. Experienced a Cameron Carpenter performance.
14. Finally snapped a picture of my cat, Meathook, in her Santa hat.
15. Finished my first trail skate on inline skates.
16. Found my daughter an orthodontist.
17. Gave up meat and switched to a Whole Foods Plan Based (WFPB) diet.
18. Got together with my best friend on a near weekly basis.
19. Had a new luxury vinyl floor installed on the first floor of my home. (Thanks, Mike.)
20. Heard Shawn James perform live at The Turf Club.
21. Helped my daughter celebrate her golden birthday.
22. Hired four, full time people to work on my team.
23. Inline skated at US Bank Stadium for the first time.
24. Joined a gym.
25. Made my first smoothie in my very own smoothie maker.
26. Met up with three former coworkers on a regular basis to keep those friendships alive.
27. Painted the living room walls red and gray.
28. Planned an upcoming vacation to New Orleans.
29. Read 13 audiobooks.
30. Rode the train from Duluth, MN to Two Harbors, MN.
31. Rolled over my old retirement account.
32. Roller skated at US Bank Stadium for the first time.
33. Saved money for retirement in a 401(k) and Roth 401(k).
34. Saw "Singin' in the Rain" at the Heights Theatre.
35. Shared my employment success story with the White Box Club.
36. Shopped for and bought my first inline skates.
37. Signed up for my first inline marathon event.
38. Started a new job as a training department manager at a growing SaaS software start-up.
39. Started driving to work for the first time in 13 years.
40. Stood in two states at once – Iowa and Nebraska.
41. Switched banks.
42. Took a foam roller class.
43. Traveled to Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Atlanta, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, New York.
44. Treated myself to monthly massages.
45. Visited my mom and mad mother/daughter/granddaughter holiday lefse making day.
46. Walked along the beach and watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.
47. Watched Lethal Weapon at the Parkway Theatre.  
48. Went to the gym at least 8 times a month from April through December.
49. Won two Step Bets to and increased my overall activity level.
50. Worked my first learning and development contracting gig.

What Do You Think?

What did you accomplish in the past year? Include your thoughts in the comments. 

Learn More

• StepBet
• Shawn James Music
• TSA Pre Check
• Whole Food Plant Based Diet: A Detailed Beginner's Guide