A to-do list always shows what has not been finished.
Three jobs still to do today. Four goals remaining this year. A book not yet read. A skill not yet mastered.
Over time, it is easy to feel you are never good enough.
But turn your attention the other way and you may discover how much you have already accomplished.
Things you feared five years ago are routine today. Work you once knew nothing about is something you can now teach. Difficulties you thought you could not survive are in the past.
So alongside an unfinished-task list, it is worth keeping a record of achievements.
Record important accomplishments, first experiences, new skills, and difficulties you have overcome.
You do not need an award or promotion for something to deserve recording.
- Your first solo trip.
- Your first public speech.
- Saving your first NT$100,000.
- Completing a long-term exercise plan.
- Supporting a family member through a difficult period.
All of these are part of life.
Over time, the record becomes a valuable picture of your growth.
When you lack confidence in the future, look back: there were many things you once did not know whether you could do, yet you made it through.
Growth is not always noticeable every day. It is often like a tree: little difference today, but years later you see how tall it has grown.
Recording growth leaves you evidence of that journey.