Self-Growth

Sheri here –

Celebrate?  What are you talking about?  What is there to celebrate now? 

It is the quiet time of year – the only big thing coming up is Valentines Day and that isn’t always a time to celebrate.

But wait, there is YOU.  You are the one to celebrate.  How are your SMARTER goals coming along?  Have you had any successes, even small ones?  Have you celebrated those? 

Are you still on track with those goals?  With your vision for the year?  That is something to celebrate.  Just think, if you had made resolutions, you would probably be over, done, out!  Yet here you are still focused on the goals you made for yourself.

Celebration is one of the important steps in achieving your dreams, your goals – those dreams with a plan.

Oh, you aren’t used to celebrating victories, even if they are small milestones?  Maybe it is time to consider adopting a new practice!

Celebrate Victories & Accomplishments

Dontcha just love to acknowledge yourself and those around you for a good job?  A great completion?  No, you don’t acknowledge those around you – maybe it is time to reconsider.  After all, don’t you enjoy that recognition yourself?

What do you say to a child when they accomplish something for the first time, that they’ve been working toward?  Maybe even their first step?  Aren’t you excited for them?  Do you tell they that you knew they could do it!  Hug ‘em and give ‘em a high five?

Don’t you love to watch that child’s face light up with the praise – that is a celebration.

I’m talking about the same thing for YOU.

Did your parents ever say, “I’ll give you a $1, or maybe $10, for every “A” you bring home?  And then you envisioned how you would spend that money when you accomplished that goal?  And when you did, how excited you were for the celebration (the money) when you brought home that report card.

OK, maybe that wasn’t you, maybe that wasn’t something that happened for you; but think about something that you did do – a sports accomplishment, a trophy or a ribbon.  You got the lead in the school play.  Maybe you won the prize for best dessert in a contest.

Whatever form it was, think back, remember how that felt.  Savor that old feeling.  Now, bring that into today.

Maybe you never were celebrated or rewarded before, even more reason to celebrate yourself for your victories.  If no one else has done it for you, YOU need to do it for you. 

It is never too late to start.

It doesn’t have to be a lavish event.  It could be something simple – a bouquet of flowers, a jar of bath salts, a cup of tea with a friend.

For a really big accomplishment, it could be a really big celebration.  For instance, a big birthday party for a birthday ending in a “5” or a “0” with your friends and family.

Or maybe a big trip as a reward for a big event, it is the prize at the end of the goal!  Just the reason you needed to do it!

You’ve Completed That Step!

It’s time to continue working on the next project, on the plan, or on the goal.

Maybe you didn’t make as much progress as you had been hoping, now is the PERFECT time to go back and evaluate the progress you’ve made and readjust your plan.  These are the “ER” steps in “SMARTER”. See “Making Change – Smarter Goals”.

It is this process that makes goals different from resolution.  The celebration and the “ER”.  This is the process that makes dreams a reality.

Until the next time, celebrate often and keep moving forward on your SMARTER goals.

Ciao,

Sheri

P.S. Drop a comment below and share how you like to celebrate.