Why We Don’t Celebrate Wins Enough
We should celebrate wins more. All of us.
And given that it’s that time of year when most of us need less of an excuse to pop a cork and open another tube of Pringles, it seemed like the perfect moment to get something off my chest.
Look, I get it.
Stiff upper lips and all that. After all, we’re British (or at least, I am).
It’s not really the done thing to whoop and cheer unless it’s absolutely necessary.
That’s just how we are wired.
But sadly, this is wrong.
We should celebrate more.
And whilst I’m not talking about celebrating every National Peanut Butter Day (January 24th, for those who are interested), or every quarter birthday, I am talking about celebrating the wins in your business.
However small they might be.
Looks it’s all good and well to have large goals. You should have large goals. But you should also have these broken down into smaller, and more achievable goals. It’s the completion of these smaller and more manageable goals which will ensure you go on to complete the large ones.
Let’s say you want to take £50,000 in 2016. And you only took £35,000 in 2015.
£50,000 written as a goal on a note in your office is going to look like a BIG goal.
But what if we break that down into more manageable chunks?
Does £961.54 sound more achievable?
How about £136.98 per day?
Or even £17.12 per hour?
It sure sounds to me like earning £17.12 for each hour I’m open would be easier to achieve than earning £50,000.
But it’s even more powerful than that. Because after the first few days and you’re on target then you’re more motivated, more fired up and more likely to go the extra mile to ensure that you stay on track.
It sounds so simple. And that’s because it is.
Founder of The Speakers Group, Shawn Ellis, gives these 3 reasons to celebrate the small wins –
- It makes you happy
- It gives you motivation to keep going
- It builds your confidence
Not only would I agree, but they are 3 pretty good reasons! Who wouldn’t want those outcomes?
We are so quick to put ourselves down when we’ve had a disappointment. Why aren’t we as fast to celebrate the achievements? No matter how small!
Broke a sales record? Celebrate it!
Had a previously unhappy client return now happy? Celebrate it!
Sold your first higher priced package of treatments? Celebrate it!
You get the idea!
So how do you celebrate the small wins?
Okay so I’m not suggesting you crack open a bottle of 1985 Dom Perignon every time you sell a nail polish, but there are things you can do which don’t cost a fortune to help keep up the positive reinforcement within your workplace.
– posh coffees and pastries don’t need to cost very much (even if you have a large team) and will be seen as a real treat by your staff
– dial in pizza for everyone at the end of the month if you’ve broken your sales targets
– take everyone for a drink after work or crack open a £6 bottle of Prosecco from the supermarket
My point is that you don’t need to spend a fortune, your staff won’t care about the cost, and the price isn’t the important thing anyway.
It’s about developing a culture within both your business and your personal life of celebrating the small victories.
Because it’s the small victories which will get you there.
What small victories are you going to celebrate this week?