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Acknowledge Your Efforts As Well As Your Accomplishments

Georgiana Carollus -- Are you your own worse enemy or best friend? Control your happiness: Be your own friend.

How often do you congratulate yourself for something you have done? Are you more likely to criticize than congratulate yourself? Increase your happiness and reduce your stress by being more supportive of yourself and acknowledging your efforts as well as your results.

We are wired to want results and people tend to measure success by the results that they see. When we are overly goal-focused, we fail to acknowledge the good work that we expend prior to reaching a goal. If we fail to reach our predetermined goal, we may discount any of our efforts. In fact, we often only give ourselves some kind of acknowledgement if we achieve our goals.

Most people do not appreciate the value of personal effort. The problem with this is that life is not constantly filled with results. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we are unable to achieve our goals. Efforts are a critical element in the ultimate achievement of any goal. In fact, sometimes the more effort expended toward achieving a goal, the sweeter the sense of accomplishment once a goal is reached.

Goals are important yet there is great value in taking pure and simple action and doing what must be done, even if you don't get the results that you want. In fact, just taking action can require great courage and fortitude. Is there any reason to discount this courage if the result one wants does not materialize? Is it not better to congratulate yourself and acknowledge your bravery than to criticize yourself for not achieving your goal?

Working toward a goal may involve struggle, actions that lead to dead-ends, and trial solutions that just don't work. The actress Carol Burnett said, "I have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don't work out, that's when I've really learned." And, Thomas Watson said, "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure."

The fact is that we are wired to want results. Instead of judging yourself solely on the results you achieve, see the bigger picture and give yourself credit for your efforts as well. Value every action you take and every difficult step. Acknowledge your effort, determination, and persistence whether you succeed or fail. Increase your happiness quotient by giving yourself a pat on the back and allowing yourself to take pride in yourself and your actions.

Source: Ezinearticles

Are you a friend to yourself? Georgiana Carollus, MA, personal, spiritual, and intuitive coach offers coaching and resources to help accelerate your process of friending yourself at the Friend Yourself Project website. Subscribe to a Moment of Inspiration to receive a free daily quote from Women with Spirit: Daily Quotations by Inspiring Women (distributed by Amazon)!

© 2013 Georgiana Carollus

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