How do you celebrate?
A really fun part of my job is getting to hear about my clients’ successes. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. If a woman is a step closer to the life she wants to lead, the way she wants her life to be, that’s worth celebrating. That said, my clients, more often than not, are thrown the first time I ask, “How did you celebrate?” It brings them up short. “I didn’t” is usually the response, often followed up with something along the lines of, “Why would I? I’m not where I want to be yet!” The thing is though, when we’re trying to live more intentionally, when we are trying to achieve an ambition, we are usually doing things that feel hard, that require some courage and that take a certain amount of effort in terms of our time and energy. If we wait until we reach the finish line that’s a lot of work before we let ourselves reflect on how far we’ve come and congratulate ourselves. And, more often than not, no sooner are we at the finish line, we have our eye on the next thing and barely take the time to enjoy the moment.
Remember when you were small and every little success was a delight to your parents and celebrated? When you were older and achievements both in and out of school were celebrated? Even if it was just a heartfelt “Well done, I’m so proud of you, let’s ring your gran and tell her too.” As human beings we need that. We can’t keep expecting of ourselves without taking a moment to acknowledge and celebrate what we’ve achieved. It doesn’t have to be big, fancy or costly. You don’t have to ring everyone you know and tell them (although you can if you want) but do something that acknowledges that you’ve moved yourself forward, you’ve made progress.
I started my own business nearly six years ago. It was a big, scary decision at the time but absolutely the right one for me. As the first anniversary of my first day as one of the self-employed approached I decided to buy something to remind myself of what I’d achieved. I gave myself a budget of the equivalent of just one hour’s pay and bought a delicate silver necklace. Every time I wear it, every time I see it in my jewellery box I am reminded of what my courage and determination to take it one step at a time and just do it achieved. I’ve marked the anniversary in a similar way each year, the budget getting a little larger each year and I now have five items that celebrate my decision, my belief in myself and my abilities every time I wear or use them.
But, I also celebrate the little achievements too. Having the courage to email my clients and explain that my prices will be increasing (significantly). And yes, it did take courage. I’m British, we don’t talk about money, but as a business owner you have to. It was hard, it made me uncomfortable, but it needed doing and I did it. Did I deserve to celebrate my decision and action? Yes, that glass of prosecco was my way of taking a moment and saying “Well done Clare. That was hard but you did it and you should be proud of yourself.” We should all take a moment to celebrate what we achieve.
And those clients who begin by looking at me with puzzlement when I ask about celebrating, by the time we finish working together they’re usually telling me how they’re going to celebrate their success in advance! A little bit of self-recognition works and it’s fun and we could all do with a little more of that in our lives. And that reminds me – it’s time to think about how I’m going to celebrate my sixth anniversary this month.
