Having A Visual Sense of Accomplishment

This picture may not invoke a strong emotional response from you, but I develop a HUGE smile on my face each time I look at it. This is my fall garden. For those of you who are not from the South, the plants on the left are collards and the lighter green leaves on the right are mixed greens. These two vegetables are a common addition to a "southern style" meal, and the taste is superb when they are freshly harvested and prepared. Just take my word for it.

Even before I sit down to consume these delicacies, I have a strong sense of accomplishment about the work to grow them. There's the quality time my younger daughter and I had when planting them along with the satisfaction of knowing that taking the time to bring water to the plants on a regular basis was worth the effort. And I also get a kick out of knowing that two other families have already enjoyed them at a meal.

Too often we don't take time to embrace a visual of what our hard work has created. A manager might reflect that their team is working more effectively together, but what does that LOOK like? You might comment to yourself that you had a productive day, but never stop long enough to create a strong emotional picture of your day's accomplishments.

If you, or the people around you seem to be lacking motivation, maybe it's time to start creating stronger pictures in your mind-or theirs. Aristotle said it best, The soul never thinks without a picture.