I’ve read it time and time again in the many self-development books I've devoured: 'Celebrate the little wins'. The question is... HOW?
It really is too easy to let the little wins slip away unacknowledged. You get some good news, yay, now time to cook dinner.
Last weekend, I was tired and couldn’t be bothered doing anything, but instead of doing nothing, I took my kids to the local Christmas carols. For me, this was a little win. I needed, as Gretchen Rubin would say, ‘a gold star’. A pat on the back for a well-done job to celebrate my little parenting win.
So, how do I acknowledge that and truly celebrate my little wins?
Here are some ideas:
Create a VISUAL reminder -
A photograph
A sticky note on the wall
A few words on a homemade poster
A folded up piece of paper or icypole stick in a memory jar
A tick on a goal sheet
Then, leave it/them up so that you can see all of your wins together.
This could be an especially helpful reminder, when things aren't quite going in a winning way, that you are still a winner.
This is what I chose to do at the carols. I got one of my older children to take a photo of me and my two youngest children (then I sent the photo to my husband). I can now look back at that time I took my kids, solo, to the local carols (parenting win!).
Acknowledge it out loud - An AUDIBLE reminder
Call and tell someone
Run around the house, preferably whooping and squealing
Send up prayer of thanks to The Big Guy
Verbalise your win, even if you just say to yourself, "Good job, Mumma!"
Write it down - It could be in a journal that you keep, or a running diary of entries that list your wins, losses, learning and observations.
Use this to refer back to so that you can continue to learn and grow.
Reward yourself - This is one of the most popular options. It doesn't have to cost money, but it could. Perhaps you could:
Buy yourself a coffee at the little cafe down the road
Buy yourself little gift, like a bunch of flowers, or a new pen, or
Eat a cookie
Have a bath
Listen to your favourite song
Paint your nails
Do something that will make you feel good and remind you of your win.
Rest in the moment - THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!
Stop.
Breathe.
Think on it.
Make time to rest in the winning moment.
Savour it. You did it. Well done.
No need to immediately keep doing. Tonight's dinner can wait for a minute. Step outside, gaze up at the sky, and give yourself a moment to celebrate, just you and your temporarily unencombered mind. Mentally give yourself your own gold star.
You may remember a blog post that I wrote a little while ago, titled 'Seeking Validation' (If not, you can find it HERE). In this blog post, I wrote about needing trumpets, fanfare and praise for my achievements. Now, here's a thought that I've had since then...
Why should I need to rely on other people to celebrate my wins for me? Why can't I just do it myself?!
Hallelujah! She has seen the light!
I don't need external validation and celebration if I'm giving it to myself.
So, now I'm going to put in extra effort to celebrate my own wins and keep a permanent record to remind myself of just how darn awesome I can be!
I encourage you to do the same. Let's be awesome together.
Much love,
Marley
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