OPTED Magazine

Are you like me?  An A-list personality that charges through life taking on too many commitments, setting numerous goals and succeeding at many of them, only to move on to the next thing after only a quick pat on the back?

We should celebrate accomplishments!

The fact that a goal has been set, a plan has been established and a result has been achieved is no easy task.  Losing weight, sealing a deal at work, buying a house, or acing a crucial exam are worthy of celebration.  As I mentioned in an earlier post about daily time constraints, the fact that a goal has been achieved means not only that it was important enough to dedicate time to, but also that a substantial amount of energy and commitment were invested in producing the result.  That means it deserves some recognition!

Why celebrating success is important

For many goals that we set, the outcome of our hard work alone is the reward for success.  But in many instances, we’ve pursued goals, and in the process made difficult trade offs and sacrifices that deserve recognition.

For example, chocolate lovers aiming to reach their goal weight may be intent on significantly reducing their intake of chocolate in the name of overall health and the vision of achieving their goal weight.  While you or I may not have a spiritual connection with the cocoa bean, this sacrifice may be significant to the chocolate lover!

Executives in the business world may realize fluency in another language will boost the appeal of their company’s products internationally when staff are able to effectively communicate in another language.  Years of language training  to excel and pass language courses are no easy feat, and the time, energy and trade off between daily work requirements and optional career development training are a personal sacrifice that deserves recognition.

Whatever goal we may pursue and however we achieve that accomplishment deserves celebration because in most instances, we’ve made sacrifices, donated time and energy, and produced a result that contributes to our overall happiness.

How should we celebrate?

For the sake of the audience, I’ll keep this low key and respectful, but we each have our own ways of celebrating success or if we lack in ability to relish in success, we’ve seen it in the movies!  Here are some concrete ways we can make a lifestyle change to celebrate and recognize accomplishments:

• Reward ourselves: take a day off work, buy a new outfit or book, book a spa treatment, or pop the cork on some champagne
• Scrapbook or journal about the journey: it’s difficult to remember where we’ve been if we haven’t memorialized it.  Journal the progress as you work to reach your goal or explore your creative side with a scrapbook page (or five) archiving the incredible achievement
• Share your success: tell a friend, family member or coworker.  Sometimes with goals like weight loss or quitting smoking, it can be difficult to reveal intentions to change and the dedication to reach a goal for fear that if we slip up, we appear to fail.  For these goals and accomplishements, as well as many others, it can make your heart soar and release a huge burden by publicizing your achievement.  Hey, write about it in your blog!

This post was prompted by a conversation with a friend who confessed the inability to celebrate success and moving on too quickly to the next task at hand.  It wasn’t until the topic of conversation was brought up that the fog cleared, the light bulb went on, and I realized: I’m the same way.

How do you celebrate your accomplishments?  Do you reward yourself for success?  Let’s hear about it in the comments — myself and the readers could use the advice!

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