Celebrate your actions BEFORE they garner results
yes this is me jumping into a pool in Spain fully clothed to celebrate – we all celebrate in different ways!
I was reminded today to celebrate actions, mindsets and behaviours rather than outcomes. This goes counter to most of the messages we receive, and in my experience it’s one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned (especially as a recovering high achiever!).
In 2020, the estimation by digital marketers is that we see anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 ads daily. Most of these, try to sell us a specific result – a desired end state. They make promises about the person we will become if we buy whatever it is that they are selling. They focus on the end, rather than the process. They celebrate the destination, rather than the small wins along the way, because… well, that is what sells.
The issue with this is that if we don’t find a way to enjoy the process of reaching our goal, we are less likely to actually get there. If we don’t celebrate the inputs, the actual things we are doing to inch ourselves ever so closer to our goal, we are more likely to give up or have a miserable time on our way there.
Working harder, suffering today for tomorrow, or enjoying my life when… can last a lifetime and it’s no way to live.
The truth is, I do not control the outcomes of my actions.
I may have some influence over the outcome, however there are so many variables at play, that especially in the short term, outcomes are hard to gage.
It’s easy to look back once we’ve accomplished a goal and reflect on what it took to get us there and the major milestones, but when we are on the path, not yet there, it’s impossible to truly know at what stage we find ourselves.
Will the “big break” come tomorrow, next week, months or years from now? We don’t know.
Will we even recognize a milestone as such when it arrives? Likely not!
How long will we celebrate the goal achievement, before we define a new bigger goal? A day, two…
When we are on a path to achieving a goal, whether big or small, we can only control our actions. That is our inputs.
For example, I can control the mindset I show up with, the values I honour and the behaviours I follow.
I can choose how I prioritize my day, the actions I complete, how I take care of my wellbeing and make time for connection.
I can choose what I focus on and what I celebrate.
AND SO .... when you’re celebrating (and you should celebrate often it’s a brain friendly practice), do so based on what you can control.
Don’t celebrate landing a new client or a promotion. Celebrate what it took on your part to get there.
If you haven’t yet landed “the new client”, celebrate all the things you are doing to inch yourself closer to landing it.
This does two things:
allows you to celebrate before outcomes show up, which builds confidence, resiliency and perseverance (the real secrets to success), and
positively reinforces the things that you have control over, resulting in less anguish and disappointment when outcomes take longer than expected.
So go ahead, celebrate what it took to get you to today, to the human you are in this very moment, the leader you’ve grown to be. Don’t wait until tomorrow or a specific outcome. Do it now. Go!