Celebrate Accomplishments

One of my "good people, good energy" friends (and fellow coach) Sara B. Frederick, had a post on her blog that made me stop and think. It's entitled "Celebrate" and I liked the comparison she makes below -

Imagine the following scenarios:

You get a phenomenal promotion at work. You give your boss a cool thanks. You go home and during the course of regular conversation with your parents/significant other/friend, you just casually mention it, to keep them updated. You go to sleep and get up for work the next day.

Or,

you get a phenomenal promotion at work. You give your boss a huge smile and a strong handshake. You go home and as soon as you walk in the door you make a HUGE fist pump, shout “yeah!!” and call your parents/significant other/friend to share your excitement. You make time for a little celebration, go to sleep, and get up for work the next day.

Which way do you feel that you’ve achieved more?

I think that overachievers, especially, tend to go through life in the first mode. We are used to achievement and expect it from ourselves that it becomes "no big deal" and we treat it that way. I know I've frequently acted that way... partly because it doesn't seem like a big deal, partly because I don't want to seem like I'm gloating about it, and partly because I've truly moved past it quickly onto the next thing. For most overachievers, we see things like promotions just as the next logical step in our progression and not necessarily something that is all that impressive.

Celebration, whether big or small, is important because it allows us to appreciate our efforts, but more importantly, it allows others to share in our lives. The people who care about us want us to succeed and want to connect with what we've been up to. Parents, friends, and significant others want to congratulate you and acknowledge you as a person and all the work you've been doing. Give them the chance to be happy for you!

Celebrations also help to differentiate one day from another, making today a little more special than yesterday or the day before. Our weekly schedules can get a bit repetitive and it's nice to feel that there was something exciting about today. Why not make it a big deal?

• What events have you celebrated recently? Were you glad you did?
  
• Just for fun, try having a mini-celebration for your next accomplishment, regardless of how insignificant you might think it is.

Check out Sara's blog at http://blog.azrelationships.com/ and her coaching website at www.azrelationships.com