Revel

By Devin Fedor, Head of Organizational Design and Effectiveness at Great Minds

December arrives with a whirlwind of emotions and activities.  Some celebratory, some reflective, and some overwhelming.  In between all the hustle and bustle, we often find ourselves longing for time to count our blessings, take stock of the months behind us, and prepare for the new year ahead.  This year, let us also count our accomplishments large and small.  Make a list.  Don’t stop until you have at least ten things on it.  Include anything you feel good about achieving – from getting out of bed each day to caring for yourself and others to finally hitting that milestone you’ve worked so hard for.

As women, we tend to downplay or minimize our accomplishments.  We judge and compare.  We question if something we are proud of really “counts”. This is your list.  You decide what goes on it.  As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “comparison is the thief of joy”.  An accomplishment is simply something that has been successfully completed.  It is not dependent on anyone or anything else.  Creating your list should be a joyful experience.

Once you have your list of accomplishments ready, revel in them.  Allow yourself to sit and soak it all in.  Revel is such a wonderful word.  It means to delight or take great pleasure.  One definition goes on to say if you revel in something, you’re not just pleased or even excited; you’re overwhelmed by joy.  When is the last time you took the opportunity to revel in something you accomplished?  Your achievements are worthy of joy and delight.  Take advantage of this holiday season to celebrate your accomplishments through lively enjoyment – revel.