Sunday, June 22, 2008

By Sylvia Warren
Jun 17, 2008

Super Achievers Suffer from Achievement Amnesia

Busy professionals, executives and entrepreneurs execute complex strategies, lead wildly divergent teams, meet ambitious goals, and deliver on their commitment to the success of their organizations. Yet often they feel like professional and personal success still eludes them.

Why?
Because the pace of their work and life keeps accelerating. Like you, smart women and men like to perform at their best. Driven by their own expectations of perfection and performance, they want to achieve the lofty goals thrust upon them. Even when those goals are unrealistic, they feel compelled to accomplish them. So they try to get more and more done, faster and faster.

As a consequence, they find themselves moving at dizzying speeds. Constant races to the next finish line overwhelm their focus and drain their energy--day after day, week after week. The result...their remarkable achievements become a blur.

This leaves accomplished professionals feeling like they are not productive or effective enough. When I hear these concerns, I know these clients are suffering from a modern day work malaise I call Achievement Amnesia: no instant recall of achievements or successes.

Do you experience these symptoms? You're so focused on what you haven't done yet that you can't remember what you've already achieved. Although you've made substantial and significant progress on your priorities, you only pay attention and give credence to what you haven't done yet.

If this sounds or feels familiar, you may be suffering from Achievement Amnesia.

3 Simple Success Practices
Simple success practices allow you to experience and enjoy the success you seek. You learn to build on your small wins and leverage them into big gains. When tailored to fit your needs and values, simple success practices make a real difference in the satisfaction and fulfillment you experience from work and life.

Clients find easy practices to be the most effective. So try these 3 daily practices on for size and see how they work for you.

At the start of your work day, write down 3 top priorities you are committed to getting done that day. We know you have a lot more than 3. Just focus on only 3 priorities at a time.

Check each priority and subsequent action items off your list right after you've completed them. Notice how great this simple action feels.

At the end of your work day, take 5 minutes to review your progress and see what you've achieved. Give yourself this time and space to appreciate what is working well for you.

Rate each priority accomplished as a "small win" or "big gain." Jot down what worked well for you and what could work better. Find easy fun ways to consciously celebrate your small wins. They lead to big gains. So toast what you've achieved with a glass of water. Give yourself a GOLD star. It may sound silly. Just notice how you feel when you pay attention to the incremental states of your well earned success.

You'll find these 3 simple success practices release you from the fog of Achievement Amnesia. And the satisfying difference in your sense of accomplishment-daily and weekly-increases your self confidence.

Author's Bio

Simply the Best Coaching - inspiring smart women to thrive in business, leadership and life.

For more simple proven practices, sign up for my special report Effortless Results: www.simplythebestcoaching.com/effortless-results/. As a bonus, you'll receive Life Balance - Simple 1-Minute Practices.

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