Self-Esteem Activity Idea — My 101 Accomplishments

Who is more likely to take a risk in poker?

The player who has stacks of chips or the player who is down to her last chip.

Self-esteem and self-value are a lot like poker chips.

A person who has stacks of (self-esteem) is far more likely to take a risk and go for their goals and dreams in life.

The person who lacks self-esteem is a lot like the poker player who is down to one chip. It is their last chip. They won’t risk anything. They play it safe. They’re scared. 

People with low self-esteem often invalidate or ignore past accomplishments. They might disregard an accomplishment and pretend it isn’t that important. 

Every accomplishment counts! 

Activity Idea: Create a list of 101 of your past successes in life. 

These can be any success from learning to walk, to passing kindergarten, passing first grade, etc.

My suggestion is to start with some of your biggest accomplishments and work backwards.

You can re-read your list of accomplishments when feeling down. Your list can help bring you back up! 

Keep adding to your list too. Make a higher stack of accomplishments 

Create your list of 101 Achievements.  

Click here to download FREE [PDF] worksheet — My 101 accomplishments

 

Sample: I put mine into sections as you can see below.

I’m not posting my info to brag. It is just a sample of what I read to cheer me up when I feel like my poker chips of self-esteem are low. I read it when I feel like I’m not doing as much in the universe as other people who are being successful.

I want you to be successful. I want you to be great!

Education:

1. Earned a Master of Education degree in Mental Health Counseling from Linsey Wilson College, 2012.
2. Earned a Master of Science degree in Recreational Therapy from Indiana University, 2006.
3. Earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Marshall University, 2002
4. Earned High School Diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School, 1998
5. Learned how to type in high school – best skill I learned.
6. Graduated from speech therapy in 1990!
7. Social studies project on pipestem resort park in 1990.
8. Learned to tie my shoe in…. third grade. Yeah – it took me while.

Awards:

• Certificate of Recognition in Recreational Therapy from the American Therapeutic Recreation Association, 2018
• Practitioner of the Year by the West Virginia Child Care Association, 2014
• Met with U.S. Congress members from West Virginia to advocate for recreational therapy and Medicare
• Recreational Therapy advocate of the Year, from the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA), 2005
• Peg Connolly Scholarship Award from the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA), 2004
• Assisted with Peg Connolly Scholarship selection committee (2009) and trained Scholarship winners in Minneapolis
• Chick-fil-A leadership Scholarship Award, 1999
• Awarded Elementary school Citizenship Award in 1992.

Work:

• Worked 16+ years at psychiatric hospital, providing services for children, teens, and their families (since August 2002).
• Put on several Christmas plays that were amazing!
• Won Employee of the month twice.
• Worked at Chick-fil-A from August 1997 until January 2002. I was able to complete every single job associated with this restaurant.
• Worked at McDonald’s (every Sunday for one year) from July 1997 until July 1998). I shortly got a job at Chick-fil-A right after being hired at McDs. I stayed on at McDs for one year working the day CFA was closed.
• Worked at the front desk for the dorms at Marshall University from August 2000 until May 2002. (Overlapping with time I worked at CFA). I’ve often held two jobs
• Worked as a teacher’s assistance for summer computer camp, 1993, helping my father teach computer skills, English, and Math.

Business:

• Started DannyPettry.com (Rec Therapy CEUs) in May 2017 after graduating with a master’s degree in Rec Therapy.
• Business reached ten years in 2017!
• Over 5,000 customers have taken a course!
• Myspace for Rec Therpaists had thousands of followers!
• Rec Therapy Today on facebook has around 20K followers

Family:

• Became an uncle to nephew G. Pettry, 2007
• Became an uncle to A. Lively
• Became an uncle to Z. Pettry
• Became an uncle to R. Lively
• Best man for my brother’s wedding

Independence:

• Started to live on own in dorms in January 2000.
• Got my first apartment in 2003
• Got a driver’s license in 1996 – failed first attempt because brake lights didn’t work on the car

Possessions:

• Saved up money and made down payment on white Toyota Tacoma Truck in March 1998. I made my own car payments and car insurance payments since 1998.
• Learned to drive a standard 5-speed car.
• Traded in the truck for a car (Silver Sunifre, 2000) to get better gas mileage on the interstate traveling from home to college. I kept that car for several years.
• Bought the white Sunifire from my mother in 2007.
• Bought a new 2013 Kia. It was the nicest car I had at the time. But it was small. And black caused a lot of heat
• Bought a 2015 silver mustang! My dream car that I had always wanted. I went for it! I did it.

Skateboarding:

• Learned to ride a skateboard in the mid 90s.
• Learned to ollie
• Learned to manual
• Leaned to kickflip
• Learned to hillflip
• Learned shuv-its
• Ollied off 3 stairs
• Ollifd off 4 stairs
• Ollied off 5 stairs
• Learned inward 180 virial flips (half flips)
• Learned outward 180 virial flips (hard flips)
• Learned outward 180 hill flip
• Leanred 360 kickflip! – I landed this trick a few times.
• Learned to do backwards noseslides
• Skated aggressively until summer of 1996
• Survived a disclocated shoulder from skateboarding in 1996
• Continued to skateboard through college years (until 2002).

Other sports and hobbies

• Played T-ball
• Played baseball – got to home once and scored one for the team! Lol
• Played soccer – wasn’t too good
• Ran track in middle school and loved the practice.
• Played guitar – learned simple songs – like puff the magic dragon. Never really got into guitar.
• Learned to catch a fish – never really got into fishing
• Learned to hacky-sack – and was able to kick it over 1,000 times before it hit the ground. I can still hit it about 50 times in a row today (but it hurts my knees a lot) – I was super good at this
• Beat original Mario brothers
• Beat Mario 2
• Beat Mario 3
• Beat Mario World with Yoshi
• Beat Star Fox
• Beat Dragon Warrior

Publications

• How to Lead Group Activities, 2004
• Activities for Children, 2004
• Lessons for Life and Leisure, 2005
• Building Character kickstater project raised $1,200
• Building Character with Sam and Izzy
• Building Character won Parent’s Seal of Approval
• Building Character won Reader’s Choice Review
• Interview on West Virginia NPR for Building Character
• Building Character was accepted at Tamarack – best of West Virginia
• Television interview on Chapters for Building character
• Almost Magical Quotations published
• Discover Hidden Secret Wisdom – self-improvement book published, 2009
• Cinema Therapy card game
• Monsters are so much fun
• So many monsters
• It’s not a monst-or – it’s a monster
• Monsters, color, and candy
• Monster Emotions
• Monster shapes
• Imaginary monsters
• Spanish monsters
• Monster Manners
• 150 Wonderful Things About West Virginia
• This is Huntington
• Art Soup for Project Creators
• Newsletter for recreational therapists since 2004! Now called: Rec Therapy Today
• Two articles published in ATRA’s newsletter

Charity:

• Sponsored a girl in Mexico for two years.
• Donated $1,000 to First Book
• Donated $1,000 to Dreams for Kids charity
• Sponsored kiddos for Christmas – getting them blankets, books, coloring books, candy.

Of course that isn’t all of my successes. 

I could count so many more things. I just went with some of my favorites. 

I completely kept social and relationships private and didn’t post any of those above.