Celebrate All the Wins
Celebrate big and small accomplishments
Take a moment to pat yourself on the back for all your daily wins, crushing goals and achieving your dreams.
We want to win, succeed and achieve our big scary dreams. Goal setting and follow through have been second nature to me since childhood. From my high school goals of getting straight A’s, to passing my driver’s license test, to getting a promotion, I am always working on the next goal before I’ve acknowledged any achievement. In the hamster wheel of life on the go, taking a moment to celebrate the small wins gets lost. At the risk of seeming too cocky or feeling awkward about the positive spotlight, we tend to brush off small (or big) wins. It’s senseless that we strive to achieve great things in life, yet we don’t make time to celebrate.
When I got my first promotion, it was long overdue. I worked the long hours, brought forth new ideas, and took on increased responsibility - in short, I worked my a$$ off. When the yearly promotions came out and I got called up, I was so proud of myself for getting to the next level. When congratulated on the achievement later that day, I acted completely nonchalant and quickly brushed it off. In reality, my body was filled with fireworks and it was a huge deal to me. It was a win that deserved the clink of champagne glasses, a fancy dinner and at least ten high fives. Instead, I went without any substantive celebration or acknowledgement. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that a close friend cornered me and forced me to hear his sincere congratulations. He refused to let me shrug it off like I had done the others. He reminded me of the hard work I had put in over the years and demanded that I celebrate accordingly.
It’s not just the big wins that deserve attention, it’s the small ones too. Whether it’s making happy hour just in time, pressing snooze only once in the morning, booking a flight on a seat sale or making every green light on the way to work – celebrate the small wins! Life is a series of little moments and taking a bit of time to appreciate daily triumphs introduces regular doses of gratitude.
Within our office working group, we have implemented ‘shout outs’ (think ‘snap cup’ from Legally Blonde). Everyone is encouraged to reflect on the last two weeks and verbally give a high five to any teammate for one or more of their accomplishments. It can be anything from an action taken, task completed or personal interaction. After getting over the awkwardness of calling out individuals in a group environment, the participation increased as time went on. Giving and receiving positive feedback makes many of us to feel deeply uncomfortable. Most of us can handle constructive criticism but are unsure how to respond to positive compliments. I am still learning how to fully accept positive feedback with a “thank you” and let myself feel the moment of appreciation.
Whether you finally opened your own business or made it to yoga class, celebrate the wins whether they are big or small. Remember that accomplishing steps along the journey deserve a pat on the back just as much as fully completing the end goal. Life is messy and hard, give yourself kudos for all the little things that got you to where you are now.
