{"id":3079,"date":"2023-07-25T16:01:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T22:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/?p=3079"},"modified":"2023-07-25T16:01:29","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T22:01:29","slug":"whats-on-your-victory-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/whats-on-your-victory-list\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s On Your Victory List?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Could writing a victory list<\/strong> help you prioritize, focus, and celebrate your accomplishments? Let me explain what I mean by ‘victory list’ and why I started writing one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I wrote previously, my son’s father passed away unexpectedly<\/a>. The first couple of weeks after his death, I was in a fog of grief and trying to manage what felt like a hundred moving parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comforting my children. Making funeral plans. Helping my son sort through his dad’s things. Embracing visitors. Integrating a new dog into our family. Going to counseling appointments. Figuring out new routines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve ever experienced a difficult loss, you’ll understand my realization that it didn’t matter if I woke up feeling blue or overwhelmed — life relentlessly insisted that we go on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That can sometimes be a good thing. It’s just not always an easy thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The counselor told me that I had to make time to care for myself, and while I knew she was right the practical application of how to do that was less clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In those early, foggy days, I began writing a list of small accomplishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My First List of Simple Victories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Had a nice bath.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Went to church.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Enjoyed adult conversation and watched the sun set with my neighbor Leslie.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Wrote a blog post.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Finished the taxes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Got my hair cut.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Took a walk around the neighborhood.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The list was a touchstone, a way to record the small, simple things that were challenging and important at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the month, I reviewed the list and felt good and hopeful. So I started a new list the following month, and felt similarly satisfied 30 days later. Now I’m on Victory List #3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping a list of victories is a way for me to quiet the little voice (the one I try to ignore) that says I don’t do enough<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My list is proof that we’re making progress, and it helps me stay hopeful about the days to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I know you’re dealing with your own challenges. Could jotting down your small victories help you recognize and celebrate your accomplishments?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the typical ‘to do’ tasks we all have, what would you like to see on your<\/em> victory list? Drop a comment below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P.S. Here’s how to start a gratitude journal<\/a>, another writing practice you might enjoy. And have you started your Happy File<\/a> yet?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"1","last_modified_date":"2023-07-25T16:01:29","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-simple-living","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat's On Your Victory List? - Happy Simple Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Writing your own Victory List is a way to keep track of the daily accomplishments that add up to tackling problems and living well.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/whats-on-your-victory-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What's On Your Victory List? 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