Don’t forget where you’ve been and where you’ve come from.

Don’t forget the mountains you’ve climbed and the things you’ve overcome.

Don’t get complacent and don’t get comfortable.

Or else you will forget how much you are capable of (hint: it’s always more than you thought or expected).

A Forgotten Past

For a long time, I have wanted to learn every language of my ancestry. I’m already fluent in more than one, so why do I hesitate to learn another?  Too much work and too little time? Perhaps, but the thought that invariably pops into my head is that learning a new language will be difficult and I may not be up to the challenge.  But why?  Learning French, for example, was one of the best experiences of my life.

I’m fascinated by the idea that we can become a completely a completely different person than one would expect based on our past experiences simply because those experiences have faded from memory.  Sometimes our faded past can seem like another life altogether and it’s not until you’re suddenly swept up by the reminder of a forgotten achievement that you realize how cautious you’ve become.

When this happens, go climb a mountain.

I guarantee that 100% of the time you’ll discover that you have more strength, talent, and fortitude than you could have ever imagined.

A Key to your Past

The important thing is to remember these accomplishments so that you can continue moving forward fearlessly.  This is something that I’ll be talking about more in a future post, but here’s one simple way to keep the memories fresh:

Write it down.

It sounds so simple (and it is), but the habit of writing down and keeping a list of your achievements can mean the difference between reaching new heights or falling well below your true potential.

Cheap and Simple

All you need is a piece of paper and pen to start your list.  It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember your past achievements (that’s to be expected), you can simply write down your wins– whether big or small– starting now.  You may want to also write down the date of each challenge you’ve overcome as well as some notes about the experience (biggest challenge, feeling after success, etc.).

Another Option

If you’re like me and you want something that’s a little harder to lose and will save some trees at the same time, then grab this template I created and start keeping track of your wins today so that you can remember where you’ve been come tomorrow.

Et vous?

What ways have you found to help you remember your past accomplishments?