I probably start as many of my posts with thoughts that come from podcasts as I do with ideas sparked by Peloton workouts, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows my morning routine: workout with Peloton and walk the dog with podcasts. Add in my morning shower, and you've described my idea-generation trifecta!
I'm a big fan of Gretchen Rubin's Happier podcast, on which I heard about the Ta-Da list.
For my entire life, I've been a to-do-list lover. During quarantine, I upped my to-do-list game to a new level (about which I wrote post 88) that's given me a great sense of daily accomplishment during this tricky year. I love the feeling of filling each box on my list with a little X. Each day, after I complete my little X's, I feel good about taking time to relax with non-list-worthy activities. I also enjoy looking back at my weeks of box grids to assure myself that whatever else happened in the world, I took those daily steps towards my goals.
But all of the little boxes don't add up by themselves. When I heard Gretchen Rubin's suggestion about making a Ta-Da list, I decided to give it a try. A Ta-Da list enumerates what one has accomplished, to become the magician who gets to say, "Ta-Da, look what I have done!" I won't bore you with the details of what I wrote down, but it's nice to see how the little steps added up to many miles. I got to acknowledge the great feeling of having completed several interesting journeys. As Robert Frost knows, "Way leads on to way." When I look at my ta-da list, each item ignites a new hope for the next to-do list and it also provides the inspiration for me to keep checking the boxes every day. As another terrific podcaster Kara Loewentheil said on her show, once a person accomplishes something, that thing moves closer to reality rather than goal. I like to base my next goals on my new realities.
What have you accomplished lately? You can share or not, but I hope you'll take a moment to tell yourself, "Job well done." You deserve that, so take a moment to revel!