How often do you take time out to celebrate? Personally, I don’t think many of us do it often enough, and I don’t know why, but I assume that perhaps we tend to, because of low self-worth, minimise what we have achieved.
Last week, I was looking through old photos, trying to find something suitable for International Womens Day. There was me at the awards for year 2 of my MBA, then in the final year after I’d passed, I did not celebrate.
In fact, I remember going to the list, seeing I’d passed, walking away, and just carrying on, which in part, I think my motivation to do it was to prove to my now ex-husband that I was not stupid. One of his favourite things to say was, “if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be where you are now.”
At the start of year 2, I dumped him and his nastiness, much to his surprise. But sadly, in his place, there was the man who called my MBA a means bugger all. Yes, you’re right, I know how to pick them, as my old friend low self-worth, would sneer.
I even stole my dissertation from the library after hearing that the top five were on show, and mine was one of them; unfortunately, I didn’t think mine was good enough.
Me today would be shouting (ok, maybe not shouting) and enjoying the feeling of a job well done, and I’d certainly be celebrating. And I’d probably make a reel and splash it all over social media. Mmm, now there’s an idea…
Self-Worth and Celebration
Self-worth is the value and respect you have for yourself based on your perceptions and beliefs about your abilities, accomplishments, and personality. It is the foundation of healthy self-esteem, confidence, happiness, and, I believe, inner peace. Celebrating your wins, both big and small, is an important aspect of building and maintaining your self-worth and growing yourconfidence.
If only I had known about the power of celebrating back when I got my MBA, I might feel differently about the whole period, but instead, I look back with some sadness. Maybe I should dig out my dissertation, open that Tattinger that has been waiting for a special occasion and read it… Although I’,m not much of a drinker, perhaps a cup of tea and chocolate cake would be better. Chocolate cake cures all ills.
It’s funny. As I write this, I see myself conjuring up a belated MBA celebration. I guess it’s never too late – eh? This leads me nicely to these tips…
Acknowledge Your Accomplishments It Will Build Self-worth
It’s important to recognise your accomplishments and celebrate your wins, no matter how small they may seem or long ago. Acknowledging your successes helps you appreciate your effort and encourages you to continue working towards your goals. This can increase confidence in your abilities and a greater sense of self-worth.
Reflect on Your Growth
Celebrating your wins can also help you reflect on your personal growth and progress. However, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget to recognise how far you’ve come. Celebrating your wins allows you to pause and reflect on the progress you’ve made and the obstacles you’ve overcome. This reflection can lead to greater self-awareness and self-acceptance, contributing to healthy self-worth.Grab your journal and write ten things right now.
Strengthen Your Self-Worth With Positive Self-Talk
Celebrating your wins can also help strengthen your positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is how you speak to yourself, and it significantly impacts your self-worth. When you celebrate your wins, you reinforce positive self-talk, which can help counteract negative self-talk. This can lead to a more positive self-image and increased self-worth. Try it nowI am awesome sauce!
Share Your Successes
Celebrating your wins with others can also contribute to your self-worth. Sharing your successes with those who support you can help you feel validated and reinforce the positive self-talk you’ve been practising (you have been practising, haven’t you?). Celebrating with others can also strengthen your relationships and create a sense of community around your achievements.
What great advice. I wish I’d known myself back then.
5 Benefits Of Celebrating Your Victories No Matter How Small
You may miss powerful opportunities to build confidence and motivation if you don’t celebrate. Look at me. I haven’t celebrated quite a few key moments. MBA, ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching Certificate, NLP practitioner, leaving three not-so-good relationships, getting to Spain and starting a new life…
Don’t be a Dale – celebrate.
Ancient Brain in a Modern World
Rick Hanson, PhD, talks about our brains’ negativity bias in his book, “Hardwiring Happiness.” He says: Your brain has a negativity bias that makes it likeVelcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.
Our brains are wired to hyper-focus on negative input. It takes a consistent and focused effort to overcome this hardwired habit of negative fixation, but there is a deep well of motivation waiting for us if we can. Celebration is one strategy for moving our attention toward the positive. Memo to self – I need to get out more!!!
Unlock the Chemistry of Motivation
If you’re serious about accomplishing your ambitions, you can recruit your biochemistry to work for you instead of against you. For example, world-renowned neuroscientist Dr Andrew Huberman sayswe release dopamine when we subjectively think we’re heading in the right direction.
Celebrations, even small ones, trigger the release of dopamine and associate the win with accomplishment, strengthening and creating new pathways that lead us to crave more victories. This dopamine release enhances the neuroplasticity process, making habits easier to form.
The motivation will decay, though, like progress at the gym, unless we nourish these new associations with consistent effort. I still need to get out more!
This reminds me of one partner who brought me champagne every time I made a major sale. After a while, he said, I’m no longer buying it because you cost too much!!! Yes, I did hit my sales target, and I am sure the champagne helped.
Get Yourself Unstuck
No journey is complete without obstacles, distractions, and motivational dry spells. Most of our lives do not follow a straight line to success. It’s a winding road, and losing motivation is just a part of the game. But how do we get the ball rolling again when motivation runs low?
Drs. Benjamin and Sarah Cheyette, authors of “ADHD and the Focused Mind,” say that we can break a cycle of failure by celebrating small wins that build momentum and self-esteem, enabling us to take on more challenging goals.
If you’re completely stuck, imagine your tiniest victories building momentum like a snowball building mass as it rolls down a mountain.
You Can’t Hold Your Breath Forever
Even if you somehow manage to avoid all obstacles, the journey to your loftiest aspirations might feel like a long trek through the desert. Not that I have ever trekked a desert, but I can imagine it’s tough. It’s easy to fall into the mindset that you’ll celebrate when you ‘get there.’
Honestly, where is there?
The best thing to do is to break down what needs to be done into smaller tasks, so there’s no reason to hold your breath until the end to celebrate. Instead, we need something to keep us going between the big victories, so celebrate the small ones to keep the dopamine (or champagne and chocolate cake) flowing on your journey to success.
Forget the External. Go Within
Success isn’t just about achieving external rewards or checking off tasks from your to-do list.It’s about building a lifetime of confidence, a sense of self-worth,and really valuing yourself. The victories we achieve, no matter how small, can shape who we are and propel us forward in life.
So don’t focus on the next big accomplishment. Instead, take a moment to celebrate the small victories along the way. Whether it’s finishing a difficult task, overcoming a challenge, or simply taking time for yourself, these moments of triumph can boost your confidence and inspire you to achieve even more.
Remember that external rewards may come and go, but the feelings of pride and accomplishment from your victories will stay with you forever. So go ahead, take a victory lap, and keep pushing forward. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you for it. Believe in yourself and your abilities, and success will follow.
Did I tell you that I am writing my first novel? This week while on hols, I wrote two quite awful chapters and chuffed to bits, and I did celebrate… Yes, you’ve guessed it, with my fave tea and cake.
Tips To Celebrate You Every Day
Here are some ways that you can celebrate and build your self-worth every day:
- Gratitude journaling: Take a few minutes each day to write down three things you’re grateful for. Celebrate the small things in your life that bring you joy and happiness. How have you evolved today?What one small step have you taken towards building your self-worth?The day that I first drafted this article, I celebrated three things. One, my dog had a solid poo. She’s had a funny tummy for a few days. Two, I created five outlines for 5-day challenges and three, I went without make-up to do a video after using the very weird bold glamour filter on TikTok. And took some time out to be in the now. I needed to recharge my batteries, and it was indeed a gift, so I am grateful for all of these things.
- Treat yourself: Buy a small treat, like lipstick, a chocolate brownie or a new book (that’s me found out). Celebrate your accomplishments with a small indulgence, and remember to sit and savour your treat.
- Positive self-talk:As you take a moment to recognise and celebrate your accomplishments, speak kindly to yourself and acknowledge your strengths.Go to the mirror and tell yourself you are awesome, or make a video and play it back as a reminder.
- Connect with loved ones: Reach out to a friend or family member and celebrate the small things together. Grab a cuppa or a glass of something. Perhaps even suggest a lunch. At the very least, call and share your news.
- Reflect on the day: Take a few minutes each evening to reflect on the day and celebrate your accomplishments. Acknowledge the small things you did that made a difference. Think about what you have created today. It could be the best peanut butter and jam sandwich, but equally, it could be something you have done that has contributed to your goals or community.
- Spread kindness: Do something kind for someone else and celebrate the joy of giving. It can be as simple as a smile, a compliment, or a small gift.
- Celebrate your gifts and talents: What opportunities could come from being open to a celebration of your gifts and worth?Opportunitiesare everywhere. When you are open to receiving, you will see them everywhere, and of course, you need to seize them and relish everything they bring.
- Celebrate the rubbish stuff: Sometimes you will try something, and it appears not to work. This can be utterly frustrating, and there will be times that you feel an abject failure. Nothing is further from the truth. Everything you do and experience is part of your learning, and just because it didn’t work this time, with a few tweaks, it could next time. It’s equally important to celebrate this rubbish stuff as well as the good stuff. Celebrate that you had a go.
I don’t know about you, but I will take a leaf out of my book and follow my own advice. Make a list and put the date of the celebration in your diary. Things I am going to celebrate include the following:
- Passing the 11 plus – on Mother’s Day, March 19th
- MBA – it will be 30 years on 29thNovember 2024
- ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching – attained 3rdAugust 2010 – I’ll celebrate this August
- NLP – 13thDecember 2009 – I’ll celebrate this December
We know that celebration is often neglected, be different and be a celebration freak and make time for a celebration.Celebrate the highs and lows and all of the bits in between. Your self-worth will thank you.
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