Accomplishment

So many people define it differently. Accomplishment. What so many view through such different lenses. And what really is it? Who is really right? I've still been trying to work out the answer about that one and I still can’t find a decent explanation for the whole thing, though that doesn't seem to matter.

Last week, I won the Gold Key Award for my poetry collection at Scholastic Art and Writing awards as well as Silver Key for a short story and an Honorable Mention for a play. A few days before, I placed a few awards for my photography pieces too (a Silver Key and an Honorable Mention). Obviously, that’s considered a pretty big achievement for a writer (and amateur photographer). And yet, for many people, that is not much of an achievement at all because they have either done bigger or better things in the world of art or they simply do not value art and writing at all. That got me thinking about what accomplishment truly means and if my definition of accomplishment is correct.

I realize that it's not a matter of correct or incorrect but that it's all a matter of perspective and what makes a person happy. Of course, whenever a great feat is done, it's okay for you to be proud of yourself. However, a great feat is different than a true accomplishment. A true accomplishment is an act that brings happiness and an honest sense of fulfillment and meaning to someone's (including yours) life.

For example of the above statement, consider a CEO to someone else who might be called a "loser" who is making minimum wage because he didn't graduate high school. Now, based off of income alone, one might assume that the CEO is more accomplished. But what if the "loser" loves what he does while the CEO hates it? What if the "loser" is far more happier. Wouldn't that make him more accomplished? Some would still say no. On the other hand "accomplishments" for one person may be nothing for another; does that lesson the greatness of that task?

 

Whatever one might consider an accomplishment to be, it is certainly the perfect self-esteem and energy booster. People enjoy it because it makes them proud and has satisfied their cravings of success and competence. Of course, too many or too little can cause negative results but overall it is positive

 

I suppose accomplishments are whatever you might make of them; like beauty, it is subjective. People have different needs and values and circumstances; thus, they  have different things that would be considered accomplishment. Accomplishments can be the little things as well as the great ones. I suppose they are whatever we consider them to be and whatever brings us that much closer to fulfillment.

 

I don't care what some people might say; I consider awards for my arts to be my greatest accomplishment.