Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

Inspiration from the Academy of Achievement

As you may know, I believe that owning your life is enhanced to the degree that you set goals that lead to achievements. Striving for achievement is challenging, but I think the effort is worth it.

Still, it helps to have inspiration…

… and inspiration can be a click or two away at the Academy of Achievement website.

When I visited, I was drawn immediately to Keys To Success, which include elements that nicely complement and expand my own ideas about what makes for an achievement. For example, Preparation:

“Knowing where you can go starts with knowing where you are, and where you’ve been. Success isn’t a matter of luck – it requires practice, study, and strategy. Learn all you can about your passion. Master every last detail, and consider all the nuances and possibilities. Then don’t hold back.”

Wow!

What makes for an achievement?

What are your top ten achievements?

If that question left you momentarily baffled, you’re not alone. When I ask clients to list their top ten achievements, whether in their careers or in their lives, I often get a glazed look that seems to say, “Achievements? What achievements?” On the other hand, if I ask what they’ve accomplished, they more readily rattle off a list of things they’ve done.

So, the question is: What makes for an achievement?

Actually, accomplish and achieve have very similar definitions. Each definition references a result following the exertion of effort, and each references success as in “to carry out successfully” or “to succeed in reaching.” Each, in other words, refers to successful completion.

Yet, there does seem to be a big difference in the associations we have for these words. “Achievement” seems to call up images of cheering crowds, award ceremonies, and speeches. Kind of like winning the Super Bowl. “Accomplishment,” on the other hand, seems to suggest something on the order of finishing your “to-do” list. 

So, what’s wrong with that?

Owning Your Virtual Life?

Although I see value for you in a trend dubbed by trendwatching.com as MASTERS OF THE YOUNIVERSE, I’ve just read about an extension of that trend and it gave me pause. The extension is YOUNIVERSAL BRANDING, which covers the opportunities for advertisers in everything from online gaming to avatar chat to online worlds such as Second Life. With 290,000 members at Second Life, as well as millions of members at other sites, this is no small phenomenon. Perhaps it even includes you. 

Such online destinations are, of course, largely escapist entertainment. Within bounds, I believe they could actually be kind of fun. As well, there may be some benefit to participation in a virtual world or metaverse. Having been, during my corporate training career, a big fan of computer-based simulation, I suspect that owning a virtual life and participating in a virtual society may provide some lessons. 

Ten Choices for a Happy, Healthy, and Wealthy New Year

As you know, a traditional sentiment at the start of the year is to wish others a Happy, Healthy, and Wealthy New Year. No doubt you’ve exchanged this sentiment yourself. Of course, as you made an effort to implement your new goals or resolutions, you probably didn’t give this exchange further thought.

This year could be different. In the spirit of this sentiment, I propose that you make ten choices, in addition to your other goals or resolutions, which will help you stay focused on happiness, health, and wealth.

The choices I’m recommending come from a changethis.com manifesto, titled 10 Unwealthy Habits  written by Alicia Castillo, interim CEO of the Wealthing Group. Each choice is actually what she describes as a “vaccine” against the unwealthy habit in question. The choices are: 

1. Be grateful. Focus on what is going well in your life, and avoid the unwealthy habit of feeling sorry for yourself.

2. Be free. Avoid the unwealthy habit of greed by giving freely and fairly for what you enjoy in life.

3. Demand the best of yourself. Pursue what you are passionate about and avoid getting stuck doing things you don’t like.

4. Control your own happiness. Regardless of your financial situation, find things that give you pleasure; avoid measuring happiness with money.