What are your greatest accomplishments?
We’ve all done a few things in our lives that stand out, things that we are most proud of. My list would include becoming the first in my family to graduate from college, a long-standing marriage to a wonderful woman that has blessed us with three immensely talented and accomplished children, getting a book published by a major publishing house, a successful career as a journalist and personal historian, surviving officer training school to earn a U.S. Air Force commission and completing an honest-to-goodness 26.2-mile marathon.
Today I want you to list the things you have accomplished in your life that you are most proud of. Here’s a starter list of areas to consider:
• Academics. Honor rolls, scholarships, awards, etc.
• Financial success
• Business. Key positions in a company, entrepreneurial achievements.
• Community. Have you served as a volunteer or leader?
• Overcoming obstacles – illness, disability, death of a loved one, etc.
• Independence. Sometimes just being able to support yourself is a big deal.
• Family matters. Marriage, divorce, foster families, etc.
As you ponder your achievements, consider:
• How did you manage to do it?
• What were the specific obstacles you had to overcome?
• Who helped you along the way?
• How did others react to your success?
• What did you learn from the experience?
• Would/could you do it again?
As always, add these to your timeline with vivid detail.
Tomorrow: Your favorite things
This is Lesson No. 17 of a mini-course on how to write a personal history. The course will continue throughout May, which is Personal History Month. To get future lessons delivered to you, you may subscribe to our RSS feed or get e-mail delivery to your inbox. It’s easy. Details can be found in the column to the left of this post.
Flickr photo courtesy of La-Joy Farms.
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