Even for just a couple of minutes, I hope you will slow down and sit still long enough to celebrate some of your achievements for the year. It’s important for your wellbeing and for the wellbeing of those around you to do this. I experienced this first hand last month. I attended a special dinner for a business that turned 5 years old. They invited all their VIPs (ordinary people that had helped them develop their business) and put on drinks and then a lovely dinner. It was a token of gratitude and thanks.
During the dinner, the leaders of the business spoke. They shared the key events and what they had been through and done to now have a successful business. It was hard to find a dry eye in the house as stories were shared, people were thanked and those that offered key support were recognised for their contribution. I found it really refreshing that both physical and emotional support were shouted out.
Imagine how we could each enhance the wellbeing of ourselves, those around us and our team or business etc if we celebrated achievements loud and proud. The end of the year is a great time to do this.
Here’s a few suggestions about how you could celebrate this year’s achievements loudly and proudly.
1. Start with recognising your achievements. You can only celebrate them if you take the time to recognise them in the first place. This starts by turning on your identifying achievements mindset.
2. Keep an Achievements Record. This could be a list in your diary (as simple as a date entry dot point or two), a list you develop at a team meeting or a jar on the Smoko table where people write achievements and place them into the jar to be read out and celebrated later. There’s a real skill in being able to identify your own and others achievements. The more you practise it the more natural it becomes. Before long you’ll be seeing achievements everywhere.
3. Recognising your own and others achievements increases positive wellbeing. This is worth going for. A simple sentence like “Your contribution to x was amazing”, “I loved the way the team responded to your requests about x and y”, “Your actions reduced our weekly incidents total” etc bring the achievement into focus and offer hear and now recognition. People always feel good as a result.
4. Reflect on the achievements of the Month / Year / Season. I promote this with the leaders and businesses we work with. And it’s always a win. Snippets often end up on the whiteboard, in a newsletter or Xmas message to staff etc. It’s not what gets said but how people feel that gets remembered. And this is always a feel good activity.
5. Give a gift. Tap into what the receiver likes. From my experience the best gifts are a gesture of care. A small bunch of flowers, a mug and tea bag, an inspirational poster for the wall, a drink bottle, home made cookies, a hamper of goodies to eat etc.
Over to You
Take some time to think about how you will recognise your own achievements for the year and that of those around you too – one achievement at a time. Make them loud and proud!
