One of the topics I consistently teach my clients is how to recognize and celebrate their wins.
Yes, I TEACH them to celebrate.
It might sound strange, but if you are reading this, my guess is that you, like most of the people I coach, are a high-achiever. You follow me for ways to keep improving yourself—this is what high-achievers do.
In my work coaching clients, I discovered pretty quickly that high-achievers pay little attention to their accomplishments. They complete one thing and move onto the next. They struggle to tell me what they have accomplished in a day or week, and they certainly don’t stop to celebrate when they achieve a goal. They’re already thinking about the next one. Isn’t that interesting? Does this resonate with you?
I love my high-achievers. As hard-working and achievement-oriented as they are, surprisingly, they often lack confidence. They don’t understand the value they bring to the table.
When faced with a challenge, they are rarely able to rely on the thought, “Hey, I have done this before, so this will be no problem.” I think a big piece of this goes back to not having tracked, noted, and celebrated their accomplishments. See where I am going here?
1. Recognize Your Wins
To resolve this, at the start of almost every coaching session, I ask my clients to give me 2 or 3 personal or professional wins for the week.
- What have they accomplished?
- What progress is being made?
- Did they achieve a goal they were striving for?
Try this exercise for yourself: What were 3 wins for you last week? Big. Small. Professional. Personal. Anything goes. Write down your 3 wins on the handy worksheet that I created for you. DOWNLOAD IT NOW
2. Decide How to Celebrate
Next, I tell my clients to celebrate their wins. WHAAAT? For many of them, their reaction is like I’ve asked them to state pi to the nth degree or list all the U.S. Presidents in order. This step has been INCREDIBLY hard for my peeps. I think it’s because we don’t celebrate enough or at all in many cases.
Listen, folks, celebrations aren’t just for birthdays and retirement parties. If we haven’t really truly recognized what we have done and accomplished, we definitely aren’t celebrating the new client we just brought in, or the contract signed that has been in the works for months, or the date night with your significant other (as a parent of a 5-year-old, this is a win AND a celebration), or the major mindset shift, or the fact you got a full night’s sleep for the first time in weeks.
Recently, someone I coach asked me if I had any ideas I could share on how to celebrate. I immediately rattled off 5 or 6 things that came to mind and then decided to create this post. Because I know she isn’t alone. I know others are asking the same question: “Ellie, what do you mean celebrate; what does this look like?”
Alright, here is an exercise and then a list. Please challenge yourself to do the exercise first, and THEN review the list.
Go back to the download from above and list 5 things that bring you JOY. What are 5 things that FUEL you? Write them down on the worksheet.
Need help? Here’s my example:
5 things that bring me joy are (in no order):
- Being silly with my son, especially when he signs the “I love Mama song”— BEST.SONG.EVER
- Traveling with my husband
- Fly fishing almost anywhere, but definitely in Argentina
- Walking in nature, preferably with a cup of coffee
- Snuggling with my son (and husband)
When it comes to celebrating, these are my go-to’s. It’s a slam-dunk combo—these fill me with joy, AND they can be celebrations! YES!!
Celebration Inspiration
Now that you have identified your top 5 ways to celebrate (aka 5 things that bring you joy), here are a few more ideas for celebrating. Some extravagant, some more simple—pick what resonates with you, and fits the goal and your budget.
Other celebration ideas:
- Pat yourself on the back
- Go for a walk on the beach
- Enjoy a glass or mug of your favorite beverage in the middle of the day
- Savor a piece of chocolate (or any other food) you have been craving
- Give yourself a couple of hours off of work
- Treat yourself to a mani-pedi
- Go on a shopping trip
- Hang out with friends
- Have a date night with your partner
- Share what you’ve accomplished with a friend, family member or your coach
- Toast with a beverage at a meal
- Write a sentence of gratitude in your journal
- Buy a new book
- Buy a new journal
- Splurge on that class or course you have been eyeing
- Plan the vacation you have wanted to take
- Remodel your house (or a section of it)
- Purchase a new car
- Take a yoga class
- Go on a wellness retreat
- Canoe on a lake
- Kayak on a river
- Spend time with family
- Call your mentor(s) or mastermind group
- Go for a walk around the block
As I said above, anything goes. The point is to do something that feels special to RECOGNIZE and TAKE NOTE of the good things you accomplished by setting your mind to it.
I’d love for you to email me your list of favorite things to do. Does anything from the list above stand out to you? What would you add to it? How will you celebrate your next win?
3. Schedule Your Celebration
Now that you’ve identified your wins and some ways to celebrate them, get it on your calendar! I’ve said it a million times, “What gets scheduled gets done.” Commit to celebrating by adding it to your calendar. Let me know how it goes!
P.S. If this post resonates with you and you want to uplevel your confidence, set up a free call with me. I can help you see and understand the value you bring to work and the world.
