As we approach the end of this transformative year, we take a moment to reflect on the journey of exploring accomplishment—our theme for the year. Accomplishment holds a unique allure: it fuels us with motivation, fosters growth, and delivers a sense of fulfillment when we reach our goals. Yet, as many of us have experienced, the pursuit of accomplishment can also carry hidden pitfalls, magnified by the complexities of our social world today.
This year, we delved into both sides of this powerful concept. While accomplishment can inspire, it can also become a double-edged sword. Society's relentless focus on achievement often reinforces harmful patterns of "never good enough" thinking, contributing to low self-esteem, workaholism, perfectionism, and, ultimately, burnout. These struggles aren't just personal—they're systemic, woven into how we define success, productivity, and even our worth.
This is why at PPL we concetrate on what was important and in this way we had less events but offered supervision for our members. We also had an amazing opportunity to present our project to the international community at European Conference of Positive psychology. The team present at the conference took time to ackloledge that besides the joy of meeting people from our community it was stresful due to traveling arangements or private issues. We were happy also to go out of our little Luxembourg and seek the feedback from our peers about the work we have done and open to what others have tried in other parts of the world.
The Traps of Accomplishment in Modern Life
In an era dominated by comparison culture and hyperconnectivity, our accomplishments are no longer personal milestones; they are spectacles on display. Social media, workplace expectations, and societal pressures turn personal success into a public performance. This shift has led many of us to internalize unrelenting standards, leaving us feeling drained, dissatisfied, and disconnected from what truly matters.
This tension set the stage for our year-long exploration, which culminates in our final event of the year: "Mattering and Why It Matters" with Evie Rosset, Ph.D. This event promises to challenge traditional narratives about well-being, offering fresh perspectives that push us to rethink how we care for ourselves and others.
Questioning the Oxygen Mask Metaphor
Dr. Rosset will explore a provocative idea: the limitations of the ubiquitous "oxygen mask" metaphor. For years, this analogy has shaped popular well-being advice, urging us to prioritize self-care so that we can better care for others. But what if this framework oversimplifies the complex interplay between self and other care?
Rather than striving for a mythical "balance" between these two, Dr. Rosset invites us to embrace a more integrated approach—one where mattering to ourselves and mattering to others coexist without competition. This perspective reframes well-being not as a precarious act of balance but as a dynamic, reciprocal relationship.
The Power of Mattering
At its core, the concept of mattering invites us to shift our focus from achievement to connection. Mattering speaks to our deep human need to feel significant—not just through accomplishments but by making a meaningful impact on others and the world around us. This broader lens allows us to redefine what it means to live fully: not by ticking boxes or chasing external validation but by nurturing relationships, engaging in purposeful activities, and recognizing our inherent worth.
What Participants Can Expect
Our closing event promises to leave participants with:
Fresh perspectives: Rethink popular narratives around self-care and well-being.
Practical tools: Integrate the concept of mattering into daily life.
A reimagined understanding: Discover new ways to define fulfillment beyond traditional ideas of accomplishment.
As we conclude this year, we hope to empower our community to carry forward these insights into their lives. Let’s honor what we’ve accomplished—not just in terms of goals achieved, but in the deeper connections we’ve fostered and the shared understanding we’ve cultivated. Together, let’s move forward with a reimagined sense of what it truly means to live fully.
We can’t wait to see you at "Mattering and Why It Matters" as we close this chapter and prepare for the next! Registration is mandatory on this link: https://my.weezevent.com/mattering-and-why-it-matters
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