Accomplishment is one of the elements of well-being theory. We sometimes pursue accomplishment for its own sake, as well as in conjunction with the other elements – positive emotion, engagement, positive relationships, and meaning. Using deliberate practice to develop talent and skill is one path to accomplishment.
“Can You Swim?”
A professor was being ferried across a large river. To pass the time, he struck up a conversation with the boatman.
The professor asked the boatman, “Can you write, my good man?”
“No,” answered the boatman, “I never learned to write.”
“Then you have lost one third of your life,” the professor said. “Can you read?”
“No, sir,” replied the boatman. “I can’t read.”
“Then you have lost half of your life.”
Suddenly, the ferry scraped across a large rock and it tore a hole in the bottom.
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