Written by: Kelisha Mills, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Successful entrepreneurs are proactive and have a philosophy of focusing on small wins. They know that small successes can lead to bigger ones, which can lead to even bigger wins. Celebrating your small wins as an entrepreneur helps keep you motivated and positive about the future.
But what does celebrating your small wins as an entrepreneur really mean? It means taking stock of all the good things that happen, no matter how big or small. It means remembering what you're grateful for when you feel defeated. And, it means recognizing and celebrating those moments when things are going well, even if they seem insignificant or inconsequential at the time.
Here are six (6) effective ways of celebrating your small wins as an entrepreneur.
1. Be Intentional in How You Celebrate Your Wins
We often get distracted by the day-to-day of our jobs. We don't take time to stop and reflect on our wins. This is when we need to be intentional about celebrating our wins.
Being intentional about celebrating your successes goes a long way in boosting your confidence and self-esteem. It's a great way to motivate yourself for the future as well.
2. Invest Time and Energy into Commemorating Your Successes
In an age where we are constantly being told to push for more, it’s easy to forget the work you’ve already done. The key to feeling fulfilled and accomplished is finding ways to take pride in what you have achieved and celebrate the small victories along the way.
Keep a list of your successes – no matter how big or small they may be.
Find ways in which you can take pride in your accomplishments – this could be through a daily affirmation, surrounding yourself with reminders of your success through photos, or joining a local networking group.
I love this quote by Rebecca Kufner:
“Each day, we have a choice to make. We can either focus on the past and make people in our lives feel bad for what we don't have, or we can focus on what's going well in our life and show others that it is possible to be successful.”
3. Compete with Yourself to become better
The first step in improving our skills is to compete with ourselves. There are a number of simple, daily tasks that we can do to improve our skills, such as reading more and trying new techniques.
It is important that we set goals for ourselves and try to meet them every day. We should also make sure that we are enjoying the process of learning something new and not just doing it because it is necessary.
4. Reframe Failure to Embrace the Learning Opportunity
There are many reasons for failure, but what is crucial is how one responds to those failures.
Reframing a failure provides an individual with the opportunity to reflect on their choices and mistakes and learn from them. Successes are also a learning opportunity as they teach us what works and what doesn't. We should embrace failures and successes as opportunities to grow.
Cognitive dissonance, which occurs when people's beliefs clash with new information, can often be overcome by reframing the situation or believing that this new information somehow supports our original belief. It can also be resolved by changing one's attitude about the situation.
5. Surround Yourself with Positive People (Even if It Means Avoiding Some Negative Nancies)
Positive people are more likely to have a good day and feel happy. So if you surround yourself with positive people, chances are that you will also have a good day. Many people don’t realize that their attitude affects other people and their moods. A study has shown that when the company starts having a more positive atmosphere, its revenue increases by 27%. And when the company starts having a negative atmosphere, its revenue decreases by 27%. People who have a positive attitude affect those around them and increase productivity.
6. Create a Ritual for Yourself to Remember and Recognize Your Achievements
There are so many things that we do every day. The hard work and dedication of our achievements can be easy to forget. But, this is why it is crucial to create a ritual for yourself to remember and recognize your achievements.
One of the ways that you can do this is by celebrating your accomplishments! You don't have to wait until an annual holiday or birthday; you should celebrate your successes with other people daily. For example, you could go out for drinks after landing a partnership or taking an online course and receiving a grade that you set as one of your goals. Another way to do it is by rewarding yourself for the effort that went into completing tasks. For example, you could get that latte after finishing up a long blog post or completing that Course recording.
Connect with me and let me know what you do to celebrate your small (and BIG) wins.
Follow Kelisha on her Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website.
Kelisha Mills, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kelisha Mills is a wife, mom of 4, author, speaker, and Entrepreneur (BSc. Entrepreneurship) for over 13 years. Kelisha specializes in life makeovers for mom entrepreneurs, helping them gain the clarity and confidence they need to find symmetry to run a successful business and have quality time with their families.
