September 16, 2014
People that feel down have something in common. They lack a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. However, how do you experience a sense of accomplishment and when do you experience satisfaction? The only way to experience a sense of accomplishment is by the meaning that you give to what you have achieved on any given day.
Take for example Thomas Edison. When Thomas Edison was told by reporters that his peers felt he was a total failure because after trying thousands of times to create the light bulb he had failed. Thomas Edison’s response was that he had not failed at all. He had just discovered thousands of ways by which the light bulb would not work. There lies the difference. Thomas Edison decided that he had accomplished something even when he was not able to create the light bulb. However, who made that decision? The one who could make that decision to call his failed attempts accomplishments, was Thomas Edison himself. No one could have convinced him of that unless he chose to do so.
This is where it gets challenging. Everyone achieves something every day. However, whether you experience a sense of accomplishment for what you achieved on any given day will depend on the meaning that you give to it. If you decide to define your failed attempt to get something done, an accomplishment, you will experience a sense of satisfaction. If you choose to define your day as a failure, you will experience a sense of loss. Unfortunately, only you can make that choice.