#20things2020

#20things2020: Acknowledging Our Own Achievements

At the end of January, I got that only-too-familiar feeling of panic. Another month had gone by, and as far as I was concerned, I’d achieve absolutely sod all.

We’re already a month into 2020, I was thinking, and I’ve just been sitting around, twiddling my thumbs, being a bit useless, professionally and personally.

But then I caught myself. I challenged myself. I said that if I was going to berate myself for being a spectacular under-achiever, then I better bloody well present some evidence to that effect.

And, surprise surprise, when I actually sat down with a pen and paper and thought about everything I had done since the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, I proved myself to be utterly wrong. Been known to happen.

I wrote down 20 things, big and small, that I’d achieved in January.

I shared it in an Instagram caption and got some lovely comments, and it gave me a massive boost.

Having written the things I’d achieved down meant I had actual evidence to show the little voice in my head that enjoys explaining to me how I’m wasting my life.

And I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that I’m not the only one who doesn’t acknowledge their own achievements. That ignores all their own hard work and is convinced that they could always be doing better.

So I’ve decided to make #20things2020 a monthly thing. At the end of every month, I’ll be posting on Instagram with a list of 20 things I’ve achieved or done, from the seemingly insignificant to the momentous.

And at the end of the year, I won’t be able to justify the customary pre-New Year what-am-I-doing-with-my-life panic to myself, as I’ll have hard evidence that I have, in fact, achieved 240 things.

And I’d love you to join me. After all, everything’s more fun if you’ve got company!

If you’re the same as me and tend to underestimate your own achievements, then why not share 20 things you achieve or do during every month of 2020? They can be absolutely anything, however tiny or earth-shattering.

Here’s the original Instagram post for a bit of inspiration:

View this post on Instagram

The other day, I was having a chat with a friend about how 2020 is going. When she asked me what I’d done, I couldn’t think. My automatic reaction was that I hadn’t really achieved much. But when I had a proper think about it I realised how many things I have done so far this decade. My default mode is to underplay and dismiss all the things I’ve achieved, convinced that I’m just lazy and a bit inadequate. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. So, I challenged myself to come up with a list of 20 things I’ve achieved or done so far in 2020, no matter how big or small. It wasn’t easy! But here goes, I’ve: 1. Been swimming in the Atlantic Ocean 7 times 🌊 2. Been swimming in the Mediterranean twice (involving significantly less pain)🌴 3. Spent time with my wonderful family and boyfriend 🥰 4. Seen two of my best friends in the world 💕 5. Made a snow family (with a little help) ⛄️ 6. Picnicked and sunbathed on the beach 🏖 7. Organised train travel back to #Granada from the UK, then cancelled it all after the French strikes got in the way. Still, I tried. 🚞 8. Started volunteering to help a local dog shelter here in Granada with its social media and the adoption process 🐕 9. Started a new strength campaign at the gym and ached so much after the first session I could barely move. 🏋️‍♂️ 10. Spent a weekend with Ale housesitting two gorgeous dogs in the hills about an hour from Granada 🌧 11. Read 3 books 📚 12. Made a flowerpot and a set of coasters at my pottery class 🌺 13. Signed up to advanced Portuguese classes for a grammar refresher 🇧🇷 14. Started #write52, committing to write one blog post every week for a year. 3 down 💪🏻 15. Translated ~ 40,000 words ✏️ 16. Written ~ 15 articles 🖊 17. Sent off my last UK tax return ✉️ 18. Paid my first Spanish income tax bill💰 19. Paid my first Spanish VAT bill 💵 20. Got second place in the local pub quiz, finally 🏆 If you’re generally guilty of being down on yourself and not recognising the good stuff, big or small, then I’d love to hear about your year so far! #20things2020 #freelancelife #femalefounder #ican #believeinyourself #locationindependent #digitalnomadlife

A post shared by Katie | Translator|Copywriter (@katieuniacke) on

There’s still time to catch up on January whilst it’s fresh in your mind, or you could get started at the end of February.

Just use the hashtag, and leave me a comment to let me know you’re up for it. I can’t wait to see what you’ll get up to.

#20things2020

1 thought on “#20things2020: Acknowledging Our Own Achievements

  1. Reply

    […] the post I shared in February about it all. It’s weird reading things you wrote BC, isn’t it? […]

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