Lately I have developed an increased admiration for people who do difficult things; people who set look ahead, set goals, and make diligent strides to reach their goal without giving up.
Of course, not all difficult accomplishments are the same, and they're not all for everyone. One must be choosy about the hard things they want to accomplish. I've set and reached goals during my life, but there are most certainly things I would never try to do because the pursuit of them would make me absolutely miserable. Climbing Mount Whitney, swimming the English Channel, being a politician, or joining the military are perfectly respectable aspirations--but they're certainly not something I personally would want to reach for.
Being proud of your accomplishments is a good thing. Taking pride in yourself is important.
The producers of The Jason Show would like to hear about your successes. We'd love it if you left a comment stating what you consider your top three accomplishments. . .anything at all. . .as long as it has taken hard work and determination to get there.
And we'll all celebrate those accomplishments together.
32 comments:
Now this is going to sound silly...but I always wanted to do a bikram yoga class. I went for the first time last week. 90 minutes of yoga in 105 degrees. I thought I was going to die. Seriously. I wanted to quit so many times. It took every bit of mental strength I could muster to make it through. It was harder than giving birth (twice). But I did it...I got through. It was not pretty. But I went back again yesterday...it was easier (but still hard). I purchased a 10 pack. It's changed my life. How crazy is that???
OMG...you wanted 3. Well I photographed 31 strangers in 31 days this past August! That was awesome and took me out of my comfort zone big time. And the last thing was getting into college...long story...but I did it and I rocked it.
Ok, I'll play along, and I'll keep it short and sweet:
1) Giving birth to my beautiful son (19 hours of hard, hard labor, WITHOUT drugs, thank you very much!)
2) Raising that beautiful son on my own for the past 16 years, while managing to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, even when it meant working 3 jobs at once.
3) Going back to school and getting my masters degree (finally!) which I hope will be the first of many.
1. Becoming Kaishon's Mom.
2. Leaving my family and living in D.C. to teach a start up school in a housing project.
3. Having a home that is welcoming to children in times of need.
Those are my accomplishments of greatness.
Caroline, Chi Town Girl, and Rebekah, YES! Thank you for getting this started. I love it.
Going back to school after umpteen years.
Earning my bachelor's degree. I didn't know I had that kind of perseverance in me - it took 7 years but I finished.
Being married - very, very happily - for almost 17 years. Luck helped with this one, Husband is just as willing to work hard at it as I am, but when I got married no one told me it would take work and dedication. Any kind of long term relationship takes work and I consider it an accomplishment. :)
Great idea Jason! Sometimes we are so busy in the "now" and "what's to come" that we forget to look back and reflect of all we have accomplished. It's a wonderful feeling!
Getting my bachelor's, my teaching credential and now working on my master's--all in my forties and while taking care of my family.
Making a commitment to better health & being happier with my looks by joining and sticking with Weight Watcher's--down 28.2 lbs. as of today.
Working to build a family that I am truly proud of and enjoy.
I don't think I will ever climb Mt. Whitney either.
1. Surviving a sever concussion
2. Growing up gay in a very homophobic world.
3. Living with the same guy for 37 years. He helped too.
Jim
1. Beating infertility.
2. Becoming a GLAD trainer (seriously. That was a lot of hard work!)
3. Being a good mom/wife and raising great kids/family.
1. Meeting my husband of 19 years
2. Starting and growing a business together that we are both passionate about.
3. Becoming daddies to our two daughters...probably the biggest accomplishment of them all.
Mike A.
Great post Jason.
I also don't need to climb mountains to feel accomplished.
Coming for a very dysfunctional family, I am most proud of this family and home that I have made for myself....blissfully happy and knowing it is a great thing.
This past year, starting my first garden was a lot of work, and a big challenge for me...that will be my mountain. :)
No mountains for me. That is why we had horses. I was married to the military for too many years to join, and I am too afraid of the water to go anywhere over my head, so here are my greatest accomplishments:
1. Becoming a mother, 5 kids later!
2. Going on to school and completing my Bachelor's degree AFTER they were born. And working the job I dreamed of (That took 12 years to get there)
3. REACHING THE AGE OF RETIREMENT, AND BEING ABLE TO RETIRE!!!
Ooh. This is tough.
1. I have four really fabulous children. People other than me will concur with this statement.
2. I have been married for almost 10 years, which is something considering how messed up my parents were (and continue to be).
3. I am content. Not the "settling" kind of content where I just suck it up and deal, but really actually content.
(Also, I won three ribbons for my yummy pickles and grape jam at the fair today. Not on my life's list of major accomplishments, but I'm still pretty tickled.)
1. Graduating Summa Cum Laude. Felt really good after teetering on the edge of flunking out due to excess partying!
2. My 20 year marriage. Whew - has it really been that long?
3. Not slapping my step-monster. Trust me - it is an accomplishment!
1. Being a half decent father (and husband. Jury is still out)
2. A Marathon
3. Attend a taping of The Daily Show with John Stewart.
Sorry, I have four and they're all over my Blog. Please don't make me do a Sophie's Choice and pick the top three.
Great idea for a Post, Jason.
Your Friend, m.
First of all, what a brilliant idea of a post Jason. Love it. I loved reading what others wrote. And I'm hoping you will eventually share yours.
My answers...1) Breaking the chains of my past and it's dysfunction and taking those things, learning from them and seeking out a different way to live and raise my 5 children in a healthy home...and rasing them into adulthood...and all 5 of them are amazing human beings.
2)Fighting for my 2 grandchildrens rights for a safe and loving home to live in.. against my step daughter and thus raising them for the past 4 years as my own.
3) Breaking free of my drug addiction and keeping drug free for 25 years...and quitting a cigarette addiction for the past 1 1/2 years.
Great post Jason!
great idea for a post...
1. overcoming infertily and having been blessed with my 4 kids... raising them better than i was raised.
2. putting myself through college after the divorce and eventually working in my dream job.. labor and delivery as a nurse..
3. overcoming my past one layer at a time.. then finding my soul mate in diane.. and enjoying my grandson.
Keep them coming! I love reading about these amazing accomplishments from my bloggy friends.
Gosh, Jason, you mean it's time to brag about myself?
Let's see:
1) I ran a volunteer program out of UCLA, serving abused children, and bolstered the membership from 8to 100+,
2) won a UCLA humanitarian award for this work, and
3) was a main leader of a strike (100 employees) in the 90's. I posted that one.
Are you going to share some of your many accomplishments? It's only fair.
xoRobyn
New to the Jason show..but I'm not a lurker. Love this topic. Here's what I'm proud of.
1. I've run a half-marathon for the last three years in a row. I'm old and it was hard. Had to train diligently for it. Wasn't fast, but I did it.
2. Auditioned for the part of Dolly in local theatre production of 'Hello, Dolly'. I'd never done ANYTHING on a theatre stage before. What was I thinking...but I did it and had fun.
3. Having 3 children. The hardest, most rewarding task of all.
Thanks for lettin' me blab.
Wow, I get to leave a comment in which I have to list my top three accomplishments? How lucky am I today, I love to brag!
Ok...where to start...where to start...
1. I competed in a figure competition at the age of 41. With three months of hard training, I made top 5.
2. I returned to university 3 years ago to pursue my nursing degree: a dream I'd had since I was 5 years old.
3. I have four kids. Hard and very rewarding (especially when they're all sleeping).
boy...now, I feel shallow, and like I didn't say anything nice about you. How 'bout this: what a great opportunity you are giving us narcissists! Thank you!
My top 3...
1. Learning to play the viola in the 4th grade.
2. Earning my Master's degree and actually working in the field that I have the degree (higher education)!
3. Cards by Amy's Angels--the card project we started after our first 3-day walk!
What a fun blog post!!
1. Surviving alongside my teeanged daugher, 30 months of daily chemotherapy. Months in the hospital, watching spinal taps of interthecal chemo, shaving our heads in solidarity, learning to give insulin shots and IV fluids all while working or we would not have had insurance benefits. Can't say it was a "goal" in life, but instead one handed to me...and we chose to fight.
2. I have done lots of physical things- climbing Mt. Whitney 2 weeks ago, running a marathon, running half marathons and riding my bike 100 miles around Lake Tahoe in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride.
3. Having children...being a family! Fundraising for families who have a child with cancer.
1. My marriage (this kind of happy doesn't just happen, you know!)
2. Having babies. That was hard, yo.
3. Um... I don't know...
It's not that I don't do hard things, it's just that I'm so good at stuff that everything seems easy.
:-D
1. 26 years with the same man. Actually, I can't even pretend this has been difficult. It's been my greatest joy but also my greatest accomplishment.. something I didn't even know was possible.. and I'm looking forward to at least another 26.
2. Admitting that I needed antidepressants and then, years later, realizing it was time to get off of them. (This was hard)
3. Raising children.. and coming to accept that they are the people they choose to be not the people I turn them into.
The hardest thing that I ever did was be a parent and I went in to it blind as a bat. I really thought that it would be snap...
Oh...and quitting smoking after a ten year habit was no walk in the park either, dude.
And whoops...forgot the hardest one:
3) Staying in my relationship when I am one of those pots who can barely abide a lid.
1. Loving unconditionally.
2. Choosing life, walking away from the abyss.
3. Seeing the lighter side of life.
Plus, bonus accomplishment, I've got great taste in friends, both in blogland and reality world!
Hmmm.
1. Raising my child to be a caring, decent, ambitious adult.
2. Running a half marathon and finishing.
3. Leaving a successful career for another career in a totally unrelated field because I wanted less stress and more time with my family.
And more recently, 4. Shooting my first big wedding as a photographer.
1. Training my jelly butt to run a 5K.
2. Giving birth to my youngest at home with midwives.
3. Leaving a career in nursing to stay home and raise three kiddos, one with special needs.
Hula Girl--Bravo on finishing a Half Marathon!! I want to train for one next year.
1. Managed to get married to a wonderful man, at the age of 44. This was after I had given up hope and figured I'd be alone and spend retired winters in Miami Beach with my best friend.
2. Packed up and moved to another country. NEVER thought I'd do something like that! So far, so good.
3. Still working on one for this spot.
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