When you cross a major milestone: 6 ways to celebrate
Some of you know that I am publishing my first book on Tuesday, Succeed from the Middle. I am thrilled to get this out into the world. I am also delighted to check this off my lifelong to-do list. I love checkmarks on my to-do list, which is a pretty big one.
Because I am self-publishing, there were a lot of to-dos that accumulated over the last eight months. I have learned at lightning speed how to publish a book. There is so much to know in the Amazon universe and how to market your product. This experience is better than any course I could have ever taken to produce and sell a product. Writing the book took me 90 days. Designing, formatting, editing, marketing, defining metadata, building a website, and creating lead magnets, took me five months.
This was an exciting project to undertake. I have wanted to write a book for more than ten years, and I finally did it. Now that I am coming to the finish line, I am thinking about my next project. But then it dawned on me maybe I should pause and enjoy this significant accomplishment. Do marathon runners cross the line, slam down some OJ, and run another race? Nope. They bask in their success of completing a race they may have geared up to run their whole life. Sure. They may plan or even schedule their next one, but I am sure they take time to enjoy their achievement.
How often do we complete a project, land a big client, or solve a hairy problem only to move right on to the next thing? We do this all the time. We need to create time to do two things— reflect and celebrate.
Reflection is vital to know how we felt about the process and outcome. Reflection allows us to identify things that went right and things that could have gone differently. For my book, I have both lists! We need to make time to reflect. This isn’t easy because our to-do lists are always calling, but we must clear some time and headspace to learn lessons and note what should be repeated in the future.
More critical than reflection is celebration. We skip this all the time! I think celebrating is so important that it must be the last task on any project plan. We can’t skip this step. Skipping celebration leads to dissatisfaction because you never feel that you accomplished anything. Skipping leads to demotivation because there was no award or reward at the end. Skipping can also lead to burnout if you continually go from one thing to the next.
So, as I sit here getting ready to hit the Publish button on my book, I am purposely planning not my next project but how I am celebrating. Here are some ways to think about celebration:
Integrate reflection.
Part of celebrating can include time for reflection. If you get the team together to celebrate, spend the first 30 minutes answering four questions: What went well, what didn’t go well, what would we change next time, and what would we keep the same. Honestly, so much wisdom and learning can happen in these four little questions. This exercise takes no more than 30 minutes. It can last longer if there is a lot to share, but it can be quick and easy.
Share your story.
Nothing feels better than sharing your story. I didn’t mean to bore anyone listing the elements of publishing a book above, but I am happy to share my story and help others seeking to publish a book. I hope to pay this knowledge forward with someone else. Sharing your story not only gives you a sense of accomplishment, but it can help others see what success looks like and how they can pursue or complete their goal.
Encourage others.
Linked to above, once you have success, mentor someone else in this area. Mentoring or advising helps both parties in that relationship. You get continual rewards from helping someone else, and your partner will get the benefit of your wisdom and experience.
Take time off.
This may go without saying, but depending on who you are and what motivates you, taking a breather can be a great way to reward yourself or your team. If a significant milestone was crossed or a large implementation just went live, give the team the afternoon off. Quality time matters to a lot of people and can be its own reward. Don’t skimp on this. Everyone needs a break to relax and celebrate in their way.
Give gifts.
I have been a part of many projects where the leader has given me a personalized award, T-shirt, mug, plaque, or piece of art. All these material items mean something to me. I have received many over my career, and even though I have changed jobs, I still have all of them. It provides me with a warm and fuzzy reflection on what I have achieved in my past. Whenever I see these items, I get a huge smile across my face.
Do something bold.
If you have crossed something significant off the list — something with a considerable impact, lifelong dream, or multi-year effort — do something bold. For yourself, this may be easier to do in the form of a big trip, opening a new business, starting that side hustle, buying that gorgeous tennis bracelet, making that two-week trip to Africa to help disseminate medicine, or jumping out of an airplane. These are all examples of things my friends and colleagues have done after completing something significant. Think about what matters to you and do it!
As we move in Spring, we notice the birds chirping again, snow melting, and temperatures warming. Let’s embrace moving out of winter and into a new day where we carve time to celebrate our successes. We all need an energy boost right about now. What achievement will you be celebrating this month? If nothing comes to mind, find one. It can be small but find something to celebrate now. I wish you many successes!
Get ready for my new book on March 15: Succeed from the Middle: A middle manager’s guide to stop being pulled apart and start balancing your team, your boss and you.
Buy the ebook version during March for $.99. I would be grateful if you could write a review on Amazon and tell others. Help spread the word to become a Rock Star middle manager.