Remember to celebrate!!!
I know the beginning of this post may seem strange, but we often forget how important it is to celebrate our successes and milestones, even when they don't seem important or when they don't mark the transition from one phase to another in our lives.
Think about this for a moment. Surely none of us hesitate to celebrate events such as marriage, graduation, the birth of a child, or retirement. These are moments that mark a fairly sharp transition. Marriage takes us from bachelorhood to married life. Graduation propels us into the working world. Childbirth takes us into the state of parenthood (and sleepless nights).
But what about all the other events? I've heard many people say, "I don't celebrate my birthday because nothing changes anyway" or "What's the point of celebrating the new year? Next year will be exactly like the previous one." And so on to other events such as small professional or personal milestones, completion of a project, and achievement of a goal.
I have also found myself making such reasonings, and the last time was just a few days ago. In fact, after getting certified as a CPCC (Certified Professional CO-Active Coach), which has kept me busy for the past twelve months, I was determined not to celebrate so as not to waste time and work. There was that little inner voice telling me, "Basically, nothing has changed... You must keep doing what you did until yesterday!" And it's true nothing has changed, except that. I successfully completed a training cycle.
Then I paused for a moment to reflect. "Gee," I thought, "I always tell everyone to remember to celebrate their accomplishments, and when I reach an important one, I think about overlooking it. I don't like those who preach well and practice badly. I don't want to become one of them!" And so, off we go! I closed the computer, and with my wife, we immediately went to celebrate with a great lunch and a nice long walk.
I had forgotten how important it is to celebrate our small and big victories. It is crucial for so many reasons:
The first is because maybe this feat also involved other people who took the time to help us achieve success. Celebrating -and perhaps sharing with those who helped us- is a terrific way to recognize that the effort made was not in vain, that the energy expended led to the hoped-for result, and above all, that we were good, determined, consistent, and persistent;
If, on the other hand, we see it from a future perspective, celebrating success gives us motivation to continue to improve, to aspire to other goals, to reach a higher level. We do this knowing that once we climb the mountain, we can rest and enjoy the spectacle of the view. Victory, big or small, leads us to raise the bar, to test ourselves once again. Just ask athletes who try to break world records that seem unattainable;
Celebration is also regenerative. After the effort has been made, you can recharge your batteries before venturing into another project, while still taking advantage of the positive momentum and high morale that success has brought you;
Acknowledging credit for the achievement also gives you a chance to analyze what were the winning elements of the venture and also the things that did not go particularly well, so that you will do even better next time;
If the goals were achieved not by one person but by an entire team, celebrations would only cement cohesion among all team members. After all, sharing with others is always better.
In short, celebrating success is really good for the mind, the heart, and even the body.
So, the next time you reach one of your milestones, don't get sidetracked by the inner voice that tells you "Nothing has changed anyway."
Celebrate! Celebrate yourself! You deserve it in a big way!
In fact, I want to challenge you. Start now! Take a moment today to reflect on an achievement you haven't yet celebrated and toast yourself tonight!