The importance of celebrating success

As soloists caught up in the hard slog of ‘doing’, we often forget to take a look back and acknowledge ourselves for triumphs past.

What happens when we don’t celebrate our achievements?

There is no reward.

There is no recognition.

There is no warm, fuzzy feeling that inspires us to do more of the things we love.

So, let’s celebrate success.

Appreciating your own efforts motivates you to work harder because, whether consciously or unconsciously, you know that if you put in the same amount of effort, another gold star will be waiting for you around the corner.

Celebrating your achievements also gives you the opportunity to be grateful for what you’ve been able to accomplish. An attitude of gratitude injects positivity, energy and passion into whatever you do – including your business – which has the effect of propelling you further.

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So how can we remind ourselves to recognise and reward our own successes? Here’s one approach:

1. Decide on the major goals or milestones you are working towards in a quarter.
2. Break those down into monthly steps leading to the major goal – no more than three each.
3. Break those down even further to weekly milestones.
4. Once these are marked out, attribute rewards at those points in time – it may be an ice cream at the weekly milestones, a half-day off at the monthly and a white-water rafting trip at the end of the quarter!

I’ll leave it to you to get creative with your rewards, but make sure it’s a ‘treat’ – choose something that’s really going to motivate you.

How do you celebrate success in your business, and what are your tips for getting in the habit? Share your suggestions below.