Small Wins, Big Impact: How Celebrations and Reflection Drive Business Success

Every few weeks or so I like to pause and reflect on what’s been coming up recently, for my clients and for myself. What’s worth celebrating? What boulder is being pushed up the hill? Where are we finding hope?

Celebrations are really important. My wife introduced me to the concept of celebrating the little wins. And while we quickly realized we don’t really know how to celebrate, this has subtly changed my life. I like to start every coaching session with a celebration or acknowledgement of how my client has made progress since we last talked.

I don’t tell them what they’ve accomplished, they tell me. You know your business best. You’re the one living your life. No matter how big or how small, let’s get it out into the open so we can see and talk about your forward momentum in the light of day. 

Maybe you had an important product launch that went well. Maybe someone left a nice comment about your business online. Or maybe you weren’t able to modify your behavior the way you wanted, but you were increasingly aware of the times when you needed to. You should take credit for whatever you can, even if it’s just confidentially between the two of us. Let me know in the comments (not confidential) or via any other method what your wins were over the last few weeks.

All too often we have that voice in our head, or in our house, pointing out and focusing on all the things we do wrong, or all the things we didn’t do. That voice needs to go pound sand periodically so you can celebrate your accomplishments properly. You deserve it.

What challenged you? Were you feeling overwhelmed? Was the current political and economic environment making things difficult for your business? Or for you personally? Were you successful but you still woke up in a cold sweat thinking the bottom’s going to fall out at any moment? (This is next week’s topic by the way)

Lastly, what gave you hope? Existing completely in the realm of the goals you didn’t meet without acknowledging your wins is why I quit golf. No matter how good I got I was frustrated that I wasn’t better. Wins are a fantastic foundation for your hope. So is the understanding that you’re doing the right things, you’re doing them well, and that even if they haven’t worked yet, they will. You had some wins. You will have more. Keep up the good work. Keep moving forward.

Here’s my personal update:

My celebrations: I helped my clients. I started sharing content with you. I joined, or am in the process of joining, three separate networking groups and organizations. I’ve met all kinds of wonderful people. I was a guest on a podcast which you probably saw me share last week. I did things that made me uncomfortable and will continue to push through that.

My challenges: For me, I have a limited amount of time and a ton of ideas for how to continue building this business. That recipe bakes a funky cake I can’t figure out how to eat at times. Perhaps unsurprisingly this comes up when I work with my own coach. They help me focus on impact and hold me accountable for the goals I set for myself.

What gave me hope: My clients gave me hope and inspired me. I helped people. People helped me. I’ve been doing this for a few months now and it’s still feeling great. All of these things gave me confidence, and that confidence gave me hope.