Celebrate Accomplishment, Not Time

Today marks exactly three years since I launched this site. It got me thinking about how we mark, or think about, the passage of time. I’ve also been thinking about it since I turned forty this summer.

People tend to celebrate things as simply the passage of time… like a birthday or anniversary in a job or relationship.

But time acts on everyone equally. The passage of time is literally the same for you as it is for me. The passage of time alone is not special so celebrating it doesn’t really make much sense, does it? It would be like celebrating gravity.

People view that passage of time differently, though, and the way they view it determines whether it’s good or bad.

Why do some people fear and then lament the passage of time? Why do they get to, say, a milestone birthday and feel sad and dejected?

Why do some other people feel jazzed on birthdays no matter how old they get? I think having a sense of appreciation makes a big difference but I think it’s more than that.

I think the people who celebrate the passage of time positively are really celebrating accomplishment without really realizing it.

When I turned forty this year, sure I was happy that I was still alive and all, but I was REALLY celebrating the goals I had accomplished by my birthday. As you remember, I set out a handful of goals to achieve by my fortieth birthday and I did, indeed, knock some of them down, which I was very happy about. So THAT’S what I was really celebrating. I was celebrating “Hey, I finished War and Peace! I did 100 pushups!”

When my wife and I celebrate our anniversary, we don’t just celebrate the simple fact that a certain number of years has passed since the day we got married. We celebrate the fact that we are HAPPILY married because a long and loving relationship takes effort and not everyone is capable of it. That’s an accomplishment.

Older folks might love celebrating their birthdays because maybe for them it’s an accomplishment to get to whatever age they are. Maybe they needed to start working out or eating right in order to get their health in check. For them, seeing another birthday is a goal reached.

Likewise, someone who maybe had a health scare and had to endure some time in surgeries or treatments. Another birthday or anniversary for them is also a real accomplishment for which they should be proud.

For those people the passage of time IS the accomplishment.

But for most of us, in order to feel good, we need to do something with the time we are given to hang our hats on when a notable date rolls around.

If I started this website three years ago and then kind of forgot about it or neglected it by only posting once in a while, would I really care about it being live for three years? No. I am marking three years of this site because I’ve put a ton of effort and energy into it. I’ve kept a consistent posting schedule for years even though I have other obligations like a full-time job, a marriage, and two children.

So, it’s the accomplishment of this site I’m celebrating and I’m using the three-year mark as the date I’m recognizing it.

Look at accomplishment over time the way you look at your 401k or any investment with compounding interest. Or working out. Or practicing an instrument. Aren’t you HAPPY to see the passage of time when it comes to those things? Don’t you kind of wish that time would pass faster so you could see the results of your hard work immediately?

With each birthday or milestone, there needs to be some associated accomplishment in order to feel good about time marching on. I think the people who hate celebrating their birthdays are really just sad because they don’t feel that they’ve really done anything with the time they’ve been given. So when a birthday rolls around, they’re reminded of the time they’ve wasted and how they have that much less time ahead of them.

I know that one year from now, I’ll celebrate FS’s fourth year because I know I’ll have added another year’s worth of work to what I’ve already built. That makes me excited! I’m pumped to see what happens between now and then because I know how much work I put into this site.

It’s the accumulation of work that gets me excited. It’s the looking back down the mountain to see how far I’ve come.

Do you have a milestone coming up? How do you feel about it? Are you excited or are you kind of dreading it?

If you’re in the latter camp, I suggest you come up with a couple little goals for yourself to achieve by the time that milestone rolls around. You’ll feel much more positive about it!