Issue 4 | May 31, 2024
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.
—Earl Nightingale
Why I Hate Accomplishment Lists
By Dr. Valerie Young
Anyone who has ever started a small business knows how painfully slow success can be.
It’s easy to get discouraged.
That’s why, in the mid-90s, I started to document small wins.
Year 1
- Interviewed by my local newspaper
- Applied to teach at adult learning center
- Ran one public workshop
Year 2
- Interviewed by The Boston Globe
- Profiled in UMass alum magazine
- Sent press releases to 12 newspapers
- Taught two adult learning center classes
- Took HTML class
- Bought website domain
The process reminded me that although I was yet to be profitable (understatement), I was progressing.
So, I don’t hate achievement lists per se.
I object to how they’re often pitched as a solution to impostor syndrome.
The Impostor Syndrome-Informed Coach™ Starts Tuesday!
The author makes the case that awkwardness isn’t a weakness to fix – it’s your greatest asset for professional and personal growth.
From Amazon:
In a time of blurred realities and filtered faces, embracing your awkwardness may seem counterintuitive. As 2x TEDx Speaker and Executive Coach Henna Pryor shows, relishing your “Good Awkward” is essential to becoming bolder, boosting your confidence, and taking the necessary professional risks at work that help you be braver and meet your true potential.
Kirkyus Review (starred review) described Good Awkward as “A well-researched and well-designed call to embrace awkwardness.”
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