Written by: Whitnie Wiley, 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.
Recently I enjoyed celebrating with my four Beyond Your Best Plan Podcast co-hosts. We celebrated recording our 52nd episode, one episode a week for a year. That’s a tremendous accomplishment, as only a small percentage of podcasters who start recording ever air their 10th episode, let alone a whole year’s worth of episodes.
I was fortunate to celebrate that milestone; then, I got to do it again within a few weeks when I commemorated a similar accomplishment with my co-host of the Life, Lemons & LemonDrops Podcast. Ask yourself, “When was the last time you consistently put out content, any content, week after week for a solid year?” Yeah, me either. As big a deal as acknowledging these events were, we also celebrated periodically throughout the year leading up to those 52 episodes.
Both events, along with thousands of others belonging to you and me, should be celebrated. Whether large or small, celebrations make us happier, healthier, and more successful.
I keep track of my daily wins using my day planner. Some are as simple as accomplishing a task on my to-do list, and others are as noteworthy as becoming a bestselling author or podcaster with more than 100 taped episodes. The things we celebrate are not nearly as important as the act of reveling—and doing it consistently.
Since the merits of celebrating are probably not all self-evident, I’ll focus here on why you should not let your successes pass by unrecognized. Following are seven helpful tips that amplify your life and hopefully inspire you not to hide your light under a bushel.
Nothing motivates like winning
Motivation is easier to come by when you stack up a few quick wins. Take the time to acknowledge every success to help instill in yourself a motivation mindset. Remember, you will not always be motivated. So, when it eludes you, discipline will help bridge the gap. Tapping into that discipline will help you rack up some early wins, which will, in turn, feed your motivation to keep going. Discipline and motivation are opposite sides of the same coin. When motivation is present, enjoy the ride.
Positivity breeds positivity
Have you noticed that people who have a positive mindset seem to attract not only more positivity, but things always seem to go their way? Even when they don’t necessarily come out on top, they find the positive in the experience, and that attitude permeates other things they do. Winning means you are successful; at least it means you are successful in the thing you just won. Focusing on the positive helps you to be more positive over time. Adopt the attitude that either you win or you learn.
Bigger than you
As much as your life is about you, it’s about others as well. You are a leader, which means you are constantly setting examples for others. When you take the time to celebrate your wins, you give others permission to celebrate theirs as well. You inspire others to take action because they see they too can succeed, and in turn, you motivate yourself to seek new projects—creating a cycle of success.
Nothing feels as good as feeling good
There’s a “feel good” chemical that floods our bodies when we celebrate—dopamine. Celebrating produces dopamine and creates a natural “high” in addition to the other benefits of celebration mentioned in this article. You will feel happier and walk with a bounce in your step, which is reason enough to celebrate. So, why would you ever deprive yourself of that uplifting gift?
Confidence is as confidence does
Ever stop to think about where your confidence comes from? Do you do what you do because you are confident, or are you confident because of what you’ve done? Confidence comes from taking action—which may mean, when you are scared, doing it anyway. For any given goal, starting a business, writing a book, speaking on stage, etc., there are thousands of reasons not to try. The fact that you went for it helps you to build your confidence muscle. The more you exercise that muscle, the more your confidence grows and moves you to try new things, leading to achieving greater success levels.
The journey is the thing
What do you get from your journeys? You’ve heard this before, “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.” It’s true. Success is not the destination. Enjoying the journey is. Journeys are for lessons. If nothing else, when you win, you have a story to tell. You have lessons along the way that will benefit others which again, as a leader, is an opportunity to make the world a better place. More than that, however, going on a journey means you didn’t let the obstacles that could have diverted you prevent you from taking the journey in the first place. So, celebrate the journey as much as reaching your eventual destination.
A reason to be grateful
Studies have shown that gratitude is the number one predictor of happiness. We are not grateful because we are happy; we are happy because we are grateful. Every win is an opportunity to be thankful not only for what you’ve achieved but for the actions you had the opportunity and courage to take. Be grateful and increase your happiness.
Celebrations can be huge events with other people, like parties and awards ceremonies, or can be as simple as sitting with a cup of tea and reflecting on what you’ve accomplished—and any and everything in between. The purpose here isn’t to tell you how to celebrate; instead, it’s to share the excellent benefits that result when you do. Be careful, however, of celebrating in ways that may create self-defeating outcomes such as with food, alcohol or overspending, if you have challenges with weight, drinking, or money. Otherwise, the sky’s the limit.
Don’t let your hang-ups about the past or negative associations about boasting, outshining others, or being perceived as narcissistic stop you. Acknowledging your accomplishments and patting yourself on the back is none of those things. If you would cheer for your child, a friend, or colleague, you should be as big a cheerleader for yourself. Now go out and do a backflip—literally, if you can. If not, a simple “Rah-rah, sis-boom-bah” will suffice.
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Whitnie Wiley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Whitnie Wiley is a leader in organizational, leadership, and employee development. After spending years in companies with crummy cultures and lousy leadership, Whitnie has dedicated herself to helping organizations and individuals adopt and implement strategies that create workplaces people love to work in. As an in-demand coach, speaker, and trainer, Whitnie shares wisdom from her own life experiences, as well as those of her clients, with grace, humility, and humor to drive change in today's business world. Her clients include aspiring, emerging and new executives aiming to be the kinds of leaders even they'd want to work for and organizations seeking to hire, develop and promote the best talent. Whitnie is a seven-time bestselling author and is anticipating the publication of four books in 2021, including her first solo effort, "The SIMPLE Leader(TM)." As the host of "Love Your Work," she interviews guests about the work they love to do, their journey, and lessons learned along the way. She also co-hosts the "Life, Lemons & LemonDrops" and the "Beyond Your Best Plan" podcasts.
