Throughout
our lives we are faced with transitions that are often marked by relevant
celebrations or rituals. These may include birthday celebrations, weddings,
promotions, retirement and for the final transition, endings or death marked in
various ways such as funerals or cremations.
However,
working as a coach supporting the personal development journey of my clients, I
have also come to recognise the value and importance of celebrating our achievements.
These do not have to be major, organisational wide events. Celebrating and
acknowledging the achievement of what others may consider insignificance may
very well have been akin to climbing a daunting mountain to someone else. The
consequences may be life changing for such an individual and therefore of
enormous significance at a personal level.
We are so
quick to move on to the next goal or objective that we underestimate the value
of the ritual of celebrating our achievements and marking them before moving on
to whatever comes next. Punctuating our achievements also serve to help us
recognise how far we have come, acknowledging the personal journey and efforts
necessary to get that far.
I am as
guilty as the next person to want to tick a goal achieved off the list and
moving on to pursue the next one. This is particularly true if our goals are
job related and often, we are measured by the successes and quality of the
goals we achieve. Rarely in my experience do organisations consider it necessary,
or of any relevance, to take the time to celebrate individual achievements,
unless it is part of a wider organisational motivational strategy.
So, when my
book was published, after the initial euphoria, I immediately started thinking
about the next project. It was when I received the box with my complementary
books and promotional material that it brought it home to me what an
achievement it was. I have published books before, but this book was
particularly meaningful to me and my personal journey into midlife and beyond.
In
celebration, apart from having a special bottle of champagne gifted to me, I
also marked the occasion by having one of the posters included in the box as
part of the promotional material, framed and hung in my study. Whenever it catches
my eye, I am rewarded with a warm feeling of achievement and purpose. Having
marked the occasion in a tangible manner, it has also served as a reminder of
what is important to me and the reason for the changes I have made in my
personal life and career transitions. It will serve as a future reminder to
take the time to celebrate achievements no matter how small. As the adage goes,
a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.
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