Learning How to Celebrate Our Wins

May 10, 20213min read

“Your small wins are just as important as your big wins, like getting out of bed or showing up when you don’t feel like it, that the big wins are even possible. Be grateful for every win.” —BossBabe.inc

Lately, I have been thinking about celebrations and the idea of celebrating in general like small victory dances to actual parties.

Maybe it’s because we haven’t properly celebrated milestones, achievements or occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, in over a year.

The thought of celebrating has been taking over my mind so I had to share my thoughts about it.

The question on my mind?

Why is it that we don’t celebrate our wins more often?

Is it because we don’t have time to celebrate? Maybe we don’t recognize what a real win is?

For me, I’ve realized that I tend to move on very quickly after achieving a goal/milestone. And lately, I’ve been learning a lot about slowing down and taking the time to celebrate.

Here are my thoughts when it comes to learning how to celebrate our wins:

DO ANNOUNCE YOUR WINS

You may think this sounds braggy, but if you’ve never publicly announced your wins, you’re not a bragger. To me, you’re actually so humble, you’re not even celebrating!

Take time to share your wins. You’ll be surprised at the amount of support you’ll receive.

When you share your wins, it does three things: 1) it pushes you to keep going, 2) it inspires others to do what they’ve been putting off, and 3) it encourages others to learn to take action so they can have something to be able to celebrate as well.

CELEBRATE SMALL MILESTONES TOO

Finished a workout, 5K race or marathon? Celebrate. Nailed an interview? Celebrate. Slept early? Celebrate. Drinking more water? Celebrate. These things may seem small to you, but it’s a huge accomplishment for others.

At the end of the day, we do not know what people struggle with and that the very thing they struggle with that they won even for a day, is what will make their life better.

When someone tells you, “Hey, I went to bed early for an entire week!” or “I’ve been drinking more water lately!”, acknowledge his/her wins. Acknowledgement is just one way to celebrate someone’s accomplishment with them. It’s not easy for most people to go to bed early…and consistently. Nor is it easy to drink enough water.

DON’T TIE YOUR AWARDS TO FOOD TOO MUCH

When celebrating, think of a nice evening out for drinks or dinner. Or if pampering is more your speed, book an appointment for a massage, manicure, or haircut.

It’s okay to plan a nice dinner, but don’t reward yourself with food too much. I’ve personally learned that tying food to rewards is not always a good thing. Instead, plan experiences. Whether it’s a short weekend trip somewhere, a day at the museum, or an afternoon of antiquing, it’ll be much more memorable and meaningful.

DREAM BIG TO CELEBRATE BIG

It’s easy to dream big. However, it’s also scary. Isn’t it interesting that even a big thought scares us?

I believe that while it’s scary to set a massive goal, it’s not as scary to achieve it if we’re aware that the steps to get there are often small actions compounded over time.

However, celebrating big is scary to me. Maybe it’s because I imagine celebrations on the scale of Hollywood’s standards. Or maybe it’s because because my celebrations have never been big.

Whatever the case is with you, I hope you celebrate like I plan to celebrate: just a bit bigger than the last celebration.