Success - Top Tips to Help You Celebrate It

Celebrations, Challenge & Achievement

Do you get so caught up in moving from one goal to the next that you never stop to enjoy your wins and successes along the way? If so read on, because all of your achievements, however small, are part of your success story.

But what story do you tell yourself about yourself?

• Is it kind or judgemental?
• Realistic or unrealistic?

Because your success story is a direct result of this......

If you recognise your success story is not serving you. That what you’re telling yourself about yourself is damaging or non-productive, what can you do?

You can start by allowing yourself to celebrate. Consider what rewards you can build into your goals or targets to keep yourself motivated and recognising your wins.

Because unless you do build rewards into your work and life, for the challenges and the difficult things you want to accomplish, then you will never assimilate your successes into your view of yourself. Which means you can be a very high achiever to the outside world, but not thinking or feeling that way yourself.

Your success story is skewed. It’s not integrated into your identity.

Top 3 Tips to recognise and celebrate your achievements and successes

To create a better story – one that will serve you well because it accurately reflects your identity (how you think of yourself) and shows you your progress – here are my top 3 tips:

1.Write a list of all your achievements - the things you’ve learned, what you’ve accomplished, what you’ve read and applied, what you’ve developed or produced - for each of the last 5 years. 1 page for each year.

If this seems like a mammoth or difficult task, because your usual focus is on what you’ve not yet achieved, then you know you’ve not assimilated your achievements and successes fully into your identity. And this action is essential to you to remember all the small successes you’ve had to get you where you are today.

2.Keep a daily or weekly log of what you’ve achieved or mastered.

I’m not suggesting you actually do anything extra here, only that you make a conscious effort to focus your attention at the end of each day or week on ALL your successes, however small, as evidence of your progression. (The added bonus here for members of professional bodies is that you will always have evidence of your continuing and applied learning at your fingertips!)

3.Build in a reward for future learning and growth that’s linked to your goals, tasks, and what you want to accomplish. Have a system that allows you to reflect on and reward yourself for your achievements.

Take action in these 3 areas and I guarantee you will see the results – in terms of you feeling more fulfilled, thinking more highly of yourself, and being clearer about the value you have to offer through your work and through who you are as a dancer.

You owe it to yourself - particularly in challenging times – to recognise and celebrate your achievements, your knowledge and expertise, your strengths and talents, your commitment, your YOU-ness!