Brad on Accomplishments

Interesting topic, I've enjoyed reading both your comments. Its a pretty personal subject, one I'll attempt to dance carefully around so we can go back to arguing about how much football coaches make.

One slant on the topic that perhaps is obvious but nonetheless worth noting is that accomplishments are a reflection of priorities. Thinking how personal accomplishments are it makes sense that what you choose to prioritize in your life and invest time, energy, effort, and resources will likely create the output of accomplishments.

I'm barely 40 so I'm not feeling super accomplished in my life. I feel good about my trajectory, but have so much that is in front of me that I want to accomplish. But looking in the rear view mirror here are some thoughts on what I've prioritized in my life.

I've been able to navigate professional success and to this point do not feel I've had to sacrifice my family commitments. I've hopefully been graded kindly by my wife and kids, their grade matters to me. But I believe my effort score would be an A...as in Accomplishment. See what I did there? I'm flawed as a husband and dad, but I hope that my commitment and effort to trying to be the best I can will win the day. I hope.

Outside my family I've maintained a small network of relationships that are very important to me. For those in my extended family I feel a level of commitment to a supportive relationship with them that I hope enriches them. I hope.

I enjoy and prioritize growing and helping others. That takes a lot of forms, first and foremost my kids. But I enjoy growing the talented people that I get to work with in my career. I also enjoy engaging in my community through volunteering which the last 6+ years has been a volunteer and board leader for Junior Achievement. I hope that those investments have helped others in some way. I hope.

Lastly, I've prioritized some very selfish pursuits that are important to me. I've always wanted to maintain an identity that is based on my own personal pursuits. Completing an Ironman triathlon sits squarely on the top of this list. That's probably a shallow "accomplishment" to some, and I agree. But I have placed a priority on some selfish pursuits.

So there you go. Commitments to my family, my extended family, my community, and to myself. I'm comfortable with my steps forward and back, and am hopeful to have the opportunity to prioritize in the future that ultimately builds on my resume of accomplishments. I hope.