That’s the only thing I know about soccer – that the announcer yells very loudly and for a long time that the player has made a gooaalll. I wonder if the player who made the goal hears that and enjoys it. Is it part of his celebration for having just made it? Do they come to need that as validation in their achievement? The player should be proud because what he did is a big deal as soccer is a low scoring game. Looky there, I guess I know 2 things about soccer.
I am not very good at celebrating my wins. My successes for when I reach a goal often go by the wayside because somehow I have convinced myself that I am always behind the ball. There is more to do and my attention is needed in some other direction. Or I know I can do better, so I push myself hard. “This is nice, but I could have gotten here more efficiently, so I’ll celebrate this win another time.”
Or, I don’t even notice I have crossed something off my list. It might be a big thing, like moving into my dream home or taking a vacation with Ava in tow, and I didn’t even realize until way after when I am reading my past journal entries. There it was in plain ink staring back at me. My big hairy goal from 2016, and here I sit all done with it.
It’s silly. I hold myself to very high standards, which is important for blowing the socks off my clients, but not so great when I am trying to remember to pat myself on the back. How ever I have arrived at a completed goal, I really should step back and say, “Cheers girl, look at you go! You have just accomplished something wonderful and hard. Well done.”
Tim helped me with this recently. He gave me a card that said “Congratulations!” on the front. Inside he listed all these things he was congratulating me for… different successes in my life that I failed to take note of on my own. He honored areas in particular that I struggle feeling proud of: work, motherhood, relationships. The card really helped me stop to think that I have actually done some pretty hard stuff lately and reminded me to take note and be proud of my accomplishments.
I kept the card and tucked it away in my journal so that I look at and read it often. It’s an awesome reminder of what I have accomplished this year, and helps me take a moment to be proud of myself. Plus its a great quick shot of confidence as I bravely step out into the world to do even more stuff.
The key is write down your hopes and dreams and celebrate them in a special way each time. It will keep you coming back for more and honor where you have been. I think I might try yelling Goooooaaaalllll very loudly every time I reach one of mine or at least cheers a glass of bubbly. Then I might remember to celebrate.
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