Celebrate Your Successes, Small and Large, Guilt-Free

Photo from Black Men Crowned on Instagram.

You’ve waken up every morning for six months straight and hit the gym ruthlessly, losing that twenty pounds you so desperately needed. Or you just earned that certificate you’ve been in class for too long. Whatever the accomplishment, you haven’t celebrated it. Your degrees are in a drawer next to junk mail. You should celebrate your successes, small and large. If you have trouble doing so, try identifying why and correcting it.

Why You Don’t Celebrate Yourself

Sometimes, celebrating your own success feels like shaming someone else. If you and your cousin started your gym trips together but they dropped out not even halfway through, when you finally see them at Thanksgiving dinner and you’re twenty pounds lighter, it could be awkward. I don’t want to call it “survivor’s guilt.” Maybe it’s “completer’s guilt”. Either way, your family might ask questions about your weight loss journey and congratulate you. From across the table, when you’re able to feel your cousin’s stiff gaze, you’ll squirm. But, objectively, what have you done wrong?

You’re not doing anything for attention, but when you get it done, it is cause for celebration.

Although your cousin might feel jealous of your accomplishment, that does not mean you should forever be silent about what you’ve done. You’re not doing anything for attention, but when you get it done, it is cause for celebration. You should be going out to your favorite comedy club or simply rewarding yourself with that $20 Amazon purchase you’ve been hesitant about.

Furthermore, you might not even realize that you aren’t celebrating your accomplishments because you don’t view them as such. Too many people finish a certificate, put it in a drawer and never look at it again. The closest they do is listing it by name on their résumé or CV. Certificates acknowledge your completion of a course, program training or something similar. It’s an accomplishment, and while others around you might downplay your receiving it, you should be making sure to acknowledge your hard work. Post it if that makes you happy.

Small things matter because they are often connected to larger overall goals.

That said, if you beat every level of the game you play on break at work, pump your fist in the air. Do a small dance when you get that good news you’ve been waiting for. Small things matter because they are often connected to larger overall goals. And there’s a reason you have to pat yourself on the back.

A Boost in Confidence

Something less-than-intelligent people have in common is their strong belief in their intelligence, so maybe you should take a page from their book on confidence. I’m sure you’ve listened to a supervisor ramble or some guy in a suit preach word salad and wondered how they got where they are. The answer is basic: They have confidence, even if they know nothing.

… confidence is what will inspire you to take the next step.

When you celebrate your accomplishments, you bring attention to them. Part of ducking celebrating yourself is avoiding the attention. Here, I want to say, you have a right to celebrate with yourself, no other attendees invited. That celebration could be represented as a post on Instagram or TikTok. Attention for accomplishments does build confidence. It reminds you that people see you, know what you’ve done and, most importantly, know what you’re capable of to a degree.

That confidence is what will inspire you to take the next step. Before even completing your educational program, you had to complete an application. The timeframe between then and completion probably seemed like forever. Did it take forever? Keeping that at the forefront of your mind will quiet hesitation related to how long the next step could take and make it that much easier for you.

[Some CEOs of companies] might not know what they’re doing, but they’re confident in what they’re doing.

Success is not just relative to each individual’s perception of what success is. Success is relative to the confidence of the individual. Many CEOs come off as know-it-all jerks because that clueless level of self-confidence vacant of true self-awareness in dire situations is what gets them through. They might not know what they’re doing, but they’re confident in what they’re doing. That’s what matters. When you build your confidence, you build a bridge to success.

The Takeaway

You should celebrate your accomplishments, small and large. Celebrating doesn’t have to mean taking a flight to Miami with a group of friends. It could mean taking some time alone to eat cookies on the couch and binge watch your favorite scary movie. Don’t let the non-success of others stop you from acknowledging your own. You deserve the acknowledgment. Also, celebrating your successes boosts your confidence. This is an important trait in doing more of what you desire. Mistakes will be made, and they’re also a critical part of success. The most important part is you.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block, who also works an Adjunct College Professor. Join the email list to get notifications on new articles and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human. Subscribe and share.