What’s your plan to celebrate your accomplishments?
When I ask clients what they will do to celebrate an achievement, I’m often met with a blank stare. We do all this planning and work to hit our goals, then when we get there, we bypass the success and immediately set another goal. We don’t take the time to savor and enjoy the accomplishments we have achieved. The thought of celebrating an achievement can feel like even more work or another thing to add to the list of things that need to be done.
Well . . . what will you do? A dinner? A massage? A party? A gift? The celebration doesn’t need to be stressful because you’re worried about what to eat, how much to spend, or how much time to invest. My favorite way (it’s also the simplest) is the “ta-da” method. I learned this technique in my coaching training a couple years ago. Although it seems corny, it is really fun and simple. Here’s how it works: reflect on a success or achievement, and then say out loud: ta-da! Okay, you can even cheat and just say it in your head. It will still work. Check out our free worksheet to identify your successes.
Change your “to-dos” to “ta-das”
The practice of reflecting on a positive outcome and taking a quick moment to celebrate will absolutely make you feel amazing. The trick is to do this frequently and make it a habit. Get into the practice of recognizing your successes and then take each one in. As a quick variation, you can also say “I did it!” I often catch myself doing this without even realizing it. I’ve been in school for the last few years and made progress towards my dissertation—a major milestone. I took the moment in and said to myself, “I did it.”.” It made me smile and feel grateful, but more importantly, it motivated me for the next step.
