What You Can Accomplish in 24 Hours
I think it’s a great question and something we need to talk about on a regular basis. Exactly what can you, or have you, accomplish in a day?
This has been a question on my mind for a while. Unfortunately, we often get stuck in the mundane of things and fail to recognize that those things that we do every single day are truly accomplishments.
I recognize some of the pivotal moments in my life and some of the every day things too. It’s good practice to reflect on what we’re doing and where we’re going instead of putting the main focus on our failings and what we can not do or have not yet done.
Pivotal Moments
I want to lay out some of the pivotal moments that I’ve gone through that really speak to this subject.
I was able to write a short story that was over 10,000 words within 24 hours. My wrists were killing me the next day but the story kept going and I kept on typing.
I’ve been through financial trouble to the point where I was being evicted. I’ve packed up an entire house and loaded it into a moving truck within a day.
It takes 24 hours to drive from New York to Florida. I’ve done that a few times to visit family. It’s a brutal drive but with some critical stops for gas, food and a short nap, it’s possible.
Accomplishments that you might not give yourself credit for but ought to include being single to finding a significant other. Being a fiancee to being a bride. Once being married to getting the final divorce decree and being single again. Maybe you don’t call them accomplishments but they are still pivotal moments.
Childbirth is another example. My life changed once I gave birth to my children. To bring another tiny human into the world is a huge and miraculous accomplishment. Certainly the 40 weeks leading up to the event wasn’t all fun or easy but during my pregnancies I worried if I was being the best incubator for my child. I had 11 hours of labor with my first child and stopped dilating, which led to my first c-section.
Chalk that up. Within 24 hours, not only did I give birth, I had my first surgery too.
Death of a loved one also represents those monumental and pivotal moments in one’s life. As I mention in The Morning Nosh, my father’s death was devastating. His health declined so rapidly especially after he accepted the fact that he was dying. We knew it was going to happen and yet when he actually died, I went into shock. Though I wasn’t an orphan, the man who was the biggest influence on my life was gone.
And within 24 hours I’d gone from a loving daughter to a grieving one. Despite that, I had to stay strong so my mother could fall apart.
Maybe you are not comfortable calling these events “accomplishments” but I do and here’s why. It’s because each one of these examples are challenges, in one form or another, that I had to live through.
I accept the outcome of each. I learned from them. I survive to live another day and embrace what’s to come.
And in times of depression, when I feel like nothing matters and everything hurts, it feels like breathing is the biggest accomplishment of my day, you know? Just making it through until tomorrow.
Whatever you’re going through or whatever you’re doing, it is an accomplishment – or at least your interpretation of one. Take it as such and don’t worry about what other people consider as accomplishments. They’re not YOU.
Tune in to The Morning Nosh
Take stock of your day and give yourself some kudos for getting this far. As my father used to say, “every day above ground is a good one.” He loved life so much and every breath through his last one was an accomplishment. I will not be convinced otherwise.
If you are reading this just know that you are amazing and you are more than you give yourself credit for.
Connect with me and tell me your stories. I might share it on the air! meredith@wildoneforever.com