Celebrate your successes--large and small

In my last post, one of my readers commented about the promises she makes to herself. She mentioned that one recent one was contingent on whether or not she lined up another large project.

I stopped at the word "large" and wondered out loud: Why does it have to be large before she can collect on her promise?

I'd like to suggest to those of you who are waiting for the right time to celebrate that the time is now. Right now is the time to be your own cheerleader.

Consider the Staples "low price" commercial. This guy comes into the store, stares at the price on an item and yells out, "Wow, that's a low price!" Even his body movement is exaggerated. "Wow, that's a low price!" He does this several times, to the point of being obnoxious, until someone else chimes in. Someone else finds his excitement worthy of repeat. They're celebrating Staples' low prices together.

It seems silly on the surface, but it makes you laugh. And it's a good example of celebrating small successes. Low prices at Staples are a cause for celebration? Who knew? But the actors in the commercial do a really good job of pulling it off. Their enthusiasm is contagious. By the end of the commercial, you're yelling out, "Wow, that's a low price!" as well. It's funny, and you get caught up in the excitement.

It's what I think of when I think of my own small successes. When you begin to see even your small accomplishments as cause for celebration, you're training yourself how to self-motivate. You don't have to go out and spend big bucks on what looks like the small deals if you think that's overdoing it. You don't have to scream them out in a public setting. But you certainly can spread the word. Even if it feels odd or awkward, others will see it differently. Your friends, your family, your colleagues will pat your back with you.

One of the wonderful things about sharing successes with others is that you realize that your small deals may be big deals to others, and they'll want to know about them. Everyone wants a cause for celebration, even if it's not their own.

Today's Action Step
Take a moment and celebrate what you've accomplished today. I'm not talking about an invitation-only party. There's not even a need to write anything down, but it can help. The celebration I'm referring to is about changing your internal dialogue. So pause for a few moments at some point during the day and consider what you've accomplished. Whether it's that you paid your bills on time, washed the car, drove the kids' carpool, closed a sale, or cleaned the house, those are big deal things to someone. Why not let it be you, and why not share it with others?

I lift my coffee cup to you and your successes! May there be many more to come.