When was the last time you took a moment to celebrate your accomplishments? When did you last give yourself a big pat on the back?
If the answers to those questions weren’t in the very recent past, this blog is for you!
As a leader, you’re likely focused on learning from mistakes of the past and moving forward with your eyes on a bright future. While these mentalities certainly have a seat at the table, it’s important to remember the value in the present moment — especially when it comes to pausing and taking the time to celebrate your accomplishments.
To many leaders, this mentality can seem prideful or haughty, but celebrating your accomplishments actually have long term benefits for you, those you lead, and the overall health of your business.
Did you know that celebrating your accomplishments will help you avoid burnout?
One of the most common issues leaders face is burnout. As a leader, you’re likely pouring so much of yourself into your success of getting results and leading well Celebrating your successes actually releases endorphins, improving both your physical and mental states. These endorphins, paired with the celebration of successes, also create a connection of positive feelings and emotions to your work.
By acknowledging your success and doing something to celebrate, you’re creating a reminder to your brain that your work is exciting, making you more enthusiastic about the work ahead.
Celebrating your successes will help you identify what’s working!
When you take the time to acknowledge your wins, you’re simultaneously reinforcing what’s working. Ask yourself, “What led to this win?” and “What made this so successful?”
There’s definitely time to identify what didn’t work, but now is the time to give yourself and the team you’re leading a big pat on the back for the important steps you’ve taken towards your overall business development goals.
When you celebrate yourself, you’re more likely to celebrate others.
We’ve all encountered leaders who do a lot of celebrating themselves and very little celebrating others. On the other hand, there are many leaders who fail to recognize their successes and the successes of those they are leading. These leaders likely have a bad case of tunnel vision and are too focused on the future that they are unable to pause and celebrate themselves and those around them.
One key to being a good leader is the ability to celebrate your own successes and be on the lookout for members of your team who deserve the same celebration. Creating an environment of celebration is key to creating a good place to work.
Struggling to identify your own successes? Ask yourself some of the following questions:
“What have my major ‘wins’ been this past week/month/year?”
“What is my greatest accomplishment to date?”
“What important steps have I taken toward my bigger goals?”
“How did I surprise myself this past year?”
Take some time to jot down your answers in a notepad or journal. Star your top three accomplishments.
Once you’ve identified your biggest wins, ask yourself, “How do I want to celebrate my success?”
Many leaders find it difficult to walk the fine line of celebrating success in a healthy way. It’s actually a good thing to be concerned with how you’re coming off when celebrating your own successes, and thankfully, there are many ways to do this tastefully.
Depending on the success, it could be a big celebration or a small celebration — the difference between a nice cup of coffee at your favorite cafe or a trip to Hawaii with your spouse.
What you do to celebrate your success is also highly personal. The idea is what is meaningful to you on how you want to celebrate your success. It doesn’t matter how small or large the celebration is as log as you celebrate to commemorate your success on some level.
Maybe you want to include your family, your partner, or your team at work. Again, this is all up to you, after all, it’s your success!
You can also choose to use this celebration as a motivation towards your goal. If you choose to do so, write down your goal and how you’ll celebrate if you achieve it and put it somewhere you’ll see it on a daily basis. There’s nothing like a tropical vacation to get you motivated in your work!
Whether big or small, your successes are worth celebrating! So how are you going to celebrate your accomplishments this spring?