Category Archives: Achievements

Climbing mountains and molehills are both pathways of achievement

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Climbing mountains and molehills are both pathways of achievement.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Andres Simon

Some chase mountain peaks that scrape the sky. Others tackle the tiny molehills that pop up in everyday life.

In truth, both climbs matter.

A mountain tests stamina and courage while a molehill tests patience and perseverance.

Each step — whether over rock or routine builds strength, resilience, and a quiet sense of pride. Sometimes, scaling a pile of laundry, or finishing a tough email feels as triumphant as reaching the summit of Mt. Everest.

The real magic isn’t in the size of the climb but in the will to rise.

So, celebrate every ascent, big or small. After all, achievement isn’t always measured in altitude – it’s found in attitude!

EXERCISE:

Each day, write down one “mountain” challenge and two “molehill” tasks. At the end of the week, reflect on how both types of victories made you grow and built your motivation for the days and weeks ahead.

The universe does not offer financing

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“The universe does not offer financing.”

—Shane Parrish, Author of the Farnum Street Blog

Image from Unsplash by NASA

Today’s quote and post are taken directly from Shane’s blog post from Sunday 12/14/25. I hope it provokes your thinking about life as it did me:

“The universe does not offer financing. This is hard to accept because life trains us to expect the opposite. We are addicted to “buy now pay later.” You live in a house before you pay off the mortgage. Your get the degree before you pay off the loan. You eat the meal before you ask for the check.

We are conditioned to enjoy the benefits today and pay the cost tomorrow.

Achievement reverses the transaction. It requires full payment in advance (and regular payments forever). If you want a fit body, a calm mind, a healthy relationship, or financial independence, the cost is non-negotiable. You must do the work before you get the results.

This is why most people quit. They pay little, see nothing, and stop. They never make it far enough to see the first return arrive.”

EXERCISE:

Consider joining over one million readers by exploring more of Shane Parrish’s work. The tag line for this resource is “Think better, decided better, live better.”

If we do not plant knowledge when young it will give us no shade when we are old

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“If we do not plant knowledge when young it will give us no shade when we are old.”

—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 16th Century British statesman

Image from Unsplash by BBC Creative

Early childhood education plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s future success.

Here is evidence of its supporting role on cognitive, social, and emotional development:

  • It helps children develop foundational skills in reading, math, self-control, and positive relationships.
  • It improves societal outcomes such as high school graduation rates, years of education completed, earnings, and long-term impacts on life achievement.

EXERCISE:

Who are the little ones in your life and in your communities?

How are you playing a role in assuring that they get all the support possible to benefit them well into adulthood?

 

Without reflection, we go blindly on our way

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“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.”

—Margaret Wheatley, American writer, speaker, and management consultant

Image from Unsplash by Medienstürmer

When it comes to learning and personal growth, many of us often miss the important step of self-reflection.

Although many of us consider ourselves good listeners and open minded, we all tend to react instead of responding to the input we receive over the course of the day.

We’re just too busy springing into action based on our previous conditioning to consider the value of pausing to re-evaluate our default approaches to getting things done.

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional communities would greater reflection open your eyes and guide your efforts to achieving even more useful results in your life?

“The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch

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“The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.”

—Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur and author

Image from Unsplash by Kym Ellis

What is your favorite sporting event, reality TV show, social media feed, or other activity in which you watch others doing cool things?

Notice your level of engagement in seeing others stepping out and taking risks while you observe behind a screen or sit in the stands.

We do these things because they are pleasurable and safe at the same time.

We get to experience the thrill of victory with little or no real agony of defeat.

When — across your years — did you do something remarkable that others envied?

What did it take for you to jump into the deep end and what was it like to feel the exhilaration and excitement of these activities first hand?

EXERCISE:

Where have you pulled back and stepped away from experiencing the rewards associated with taking risks?

Where can and will you jump in again to feel the rush of being back in the game?

“We often work harder in our dreams than in our life.”

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“We often work harder in our dreams than in our life.”

—Mark Nepo, poet, teacher, and storyteller

Image from Unsplash by Hans Reniers

Although I don’t usually remember my dreams beyond the first minute or two after waking, I often find myself day-dreaming throughout the day.

When I watch others doing great things on TV or in my personal and professional communities, I often project myself into their efforts.

This form of wishful thinking and level of achievement is purely a mental exercise, and rarely if ever shows up in actual performance.

EXERCISE:

Where do you work harder in your dreams than in your life?

Where in your world is it time to give it your all and break a sweat?

“You’re Astonishing! How dare you waste it!”

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“You’re Astonishing! How dare you waste it!”

—Seth Godin, American author and former dot com business executive

Image from Unsplash by Colton Sturgeon

Today’s quote made me smile and frown at the same time—I love being happily surprised and astonished by amazing people, places, and things.

Seeing what is possible become realized inspires me to continue my own pursuit of excellence.

What have you done or achieved in your life which astonished yourself and others?

How far back do you need to go to recall these memories?

What have you done more recently that raises eyebrows and has more than a few jaws drop?

EXERCISE:

Who do you know that astonishes you?

When did you last tell them about your thoughts and feelings?

How much of your potential for excellence and greatness is still in the tank?

Your secret weapon is the patient execution of what everyone knows they should be doing.

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“Your secret weapon is the patient execution of what everyone knows they should be doing.”

—Rich Litvin, co-author of The Prosperous Coach

Image from Unsplash by Ben White

Secret weapons are the stuff of superheroes and blockbuster movies.

Whether you are a Marvel or DC fan, watching the good guys fight the bad guys on screen or even in a comic book always grabs our attention. Yet — as far as I know — there are no superheroes with patient execution as their secret weapon.

A two-hour film is not the venue to reveal how their secret to success is longer time intervals. We want things big and bold, or we simply go home.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life could patient execution be the secret weapon you need to achieve your most important goals?

What simple actions will you take today to build the momentum to be your own superhero?

What small achievements can you celebrate today

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What small achievements can you celebrate today? How?

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by krakenimages

What make a good day a good day? How important is it for you to achieve something of great significance to place a gold star or even a check mark in the box for the day?

If our accomplishments need a certain critical mass each day, most of our calendars will appear a bit empty. Take a few hints from clever parenting charts, on which young children get stickers for eating their vegetables, putting away their toys, brushing their teeth, potty training, or simply for saying please and thank you.

EXERCISE:

What small achievements do you tend to overlook on a typical day?

In what ways can you acknowledge your efforts and progress today, and add a few more gold stars and happy faces to your calendar?

Thrones no matter how pretty have only room for one

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“Thrones, no matter how pretty, have only room for one.”

—Mark Nepo, author of The Book of Awakening

Image from Unsplash by Nicholas Green

By the time this post reaches your inbox or social media feed, I have review it numerous times. My own reflection on this process points to the high percentage of these efforts directed towards one’s progress in our personal and professional communities.

Although I am all for the achievement of individual success somehow, I experience even more satisfaction and fulfillment when I’ve been a part of a group or team effort.

Consider sports as a good example. On the list below, notice the fan base of popularity of team sports.

There don’t seem to be many stadiums built for individual sporting events. We all like to be part of a winning endeavor, even if we never get on the field.

SPORT # of Fans SPORT # of Fans
Soccer/Football 4 billion Cricket 2.5 billion
Hockey 2 billion Volleyball 900 million
Basketball 825 million Baseball 500 million

EXERCISE:

Where are you engaged in an individual endeavor versus some form of group achievement?

Where is the “TEAM” concept of Together Everyone Achieves More truer for you?