Reflecting upon the New Year, I began doing what most of us do…making lists. We all compose highlights, “the best of” series, or the top accomplishments of the past year. Though many of us don’t think twice about it, I think we underestimate the importance of documenting milestones.
Documenting our milestones is key to growth and progress. We feel accomplished looking back and seeing our own movement. Little successes in our journey are actually big successes (see my post Defining Success). By reflecting how we got from point A to B, we are encouraged, recharged, and humbled by our own experiences.
I want to encourage you to keep a journal, list, voice recordings…anything to document your milestones while they are happening this year. By the end of the year, your list will be very detailed.
Last January, a friend of mine sent me a jar and invited me to do the “year in a jar.” The concept is to record the highlights as they occur on a sticky note or little piece of paper, and stick them in the jar. This could be anything from new relationships formed, a promotion, places visited, etc.
At the end of the year, dump the jar and read all of the great things you experienced that year. I just finished reading through my 2013 and was highly encouraged!
Here’s to your 2014. Make it count!
-Dom
Another cool form of documenting is filming as many experiences as you can. Here are some video highlights of mine from 2013.