If you’re like me you’re probably one of the first ones to congratulate someone on an outstanding achievement. It’s only natural to want to recognize someone you know and acknowledge them when they’ve hit their goal, did an awesome job, won a big contest or game. It feels good to relish in their victory with them.
The 2010 Winter Olympics came to a close yesterday. It was two weeks filled with celebration and accomplishment. The ultimate for these competitors was winning a Gold Medal. However, not everyone at the Olympics won a Gold Medal. Some were fortunate to do well and win either a Silver Medal or a Bronze Medal. And yet, many others left the Games with no medals at all. Only memories of making it to the Games and competing…giving it their best shot.
I was reminded of a lesson yesterday as we were watching the Gold Medal game for hockey between Canada and the USA. It was a hard fought game. Intense competition…resulting in overtime and then… Canada scored! It was over. Canada won the Gold. The USA the Silver. Congratulations to both teams on an outstanding effort.
It was during the medal ceremony that the lesson hit me. Every single player on the USA Team seemed 
crushed…totally defeated and withdrawn…no life…no energy. I realize that their dream of a Gold Medal just vanished before their eyes. This was not an easy pill to swallow. If I had been a player on that team I most likely would’ve been in the same state. Sadly, not a single player smiled when the Silver Medal was placed around their neck. That’s when it hit me.
I’m as guilty as the next person to beat myself up when I don’t accomplish what I set out to do. I look for all my faults, where I went wrong, how I dropped the ball and “failed”. This has been something that I’ve battled with from time to time. It is also something I have been able to overcome and move past on more occasions frequently thanks to something I’ve learned and I want to share with you.
The lesson is really very simple. Celebrate your wins!
I’m going to give the USA Hockey Team the benefit of the doubt here for the moment. I know being caught up in the moment of competition they were in yesterday and the result they experienced was not the outcome they desired. That stings. It hurts. It takes sometime to get beyond it. My hope for them in their own time is that they each stop and reflect on the journey they just completed. I would encourage them to recognize and celebrate their win! They were chosen to represent the USA and play on the hockey team that went to the Olympics. They made it all the way to the Gold Medal game. They were among the best of the best in the world in hockey on that day. The game was so close it went to overtime. They took home a Silver Medal! That is something to be proud of.
Was it their ideal outcome? No. Is it something to celebrate? Absolutely!
I’m going to venture a guess here and say that every single competitor at the 2010 Olympic Games went there with a singleness of purpose…Take home the Gold! Certainly, that goal was not accomplished by all the athletes. However, all the athletes will most likely celebrate the victory of making it to the 2010 Winter Olympics and getting their chance to show the world what they could do.
So, this is my call to you. The lesson I was reminded of is one that I want to encourage you to do. It is one I will also pick up and do more frequently myself. Make a point of recognizing and celebrating your wins! Don’t be so hard on yourself, stop beating yourself up.
It’s really not that hard. Acknowledge what your accomplishments are on a daily basis. Start off easy if you must. You woke up and you made coffee! Acknowledge the fact that you ate a healthy balanced diet today…that you went to the gym and worked out. Celebrate the new Blog you’re working on and the progress you make each day. Congratulate yourself for following up with a prospect, for making that phone call, for doing that presentation…for sticking to it! I think you get the idea. We have a lot to celebrate if we just recognize the accomplishments we make every day that move us forward.
If we don’t and we constantly focus on what we still have to attain, we put out an unconscious message to our brain that we are lacking. To counteract this, it is worthwhile to focus on your victories and achievements. A good thing to do is start a Win Book. A place for you to write down the wins you celebrate as you move forward on your path in life.
I’d love to hear what wins you are celebrating in your life these days. Leave your thoughts and comments below. If you connected with the lesson I was reminded of here and you found benefit in it I would appreciate it if you pass it along to your friends and followers on Twitter and Facebook. Perhaps they might like more celebration in their life too!
Get out there and celebrate your wins… Live Your Best Life!
Don
Don, Great observations – I’ve been following the Olympics (obsessively, I admit it) and I’ve thought a lot about this (the silver/bronze issue) – in past Olympics as well. Interestingly, I think it says a lot about how we view anything but top dog: not good enough, a failure, not complete. These guys are the second best in the WORLD and everything says they’re not good enough – no wonder the rest of us are sheepish about our efforts.
Doing our best IS good enough – showing up counts. Working hard counts – winning the silver is awesome. I loved Marai (sp?) the 16 year old US figure skater who came in 4th in her first Olypmics – she was jubilant, telling the world: I want you to know I’m here – I’m the future – now that’s the ticket!
.-= Amy Posner´s last blog ..Business Development – Are You At It? =-.
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Don Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Amy,
Thanks for sharing that excitement. All too often we take some much of our life, our business all too seriously. If we don’t celebrate the little victories along the way how will we ever enjoy the journey to the tip?
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Oh my friend, you know I am a HUGE fan of celebrating what IS working along the way! If we KNOW we gave it our all, then what is there NOT to celebrate? Sure, when I know I didn’t play full out I will be harder on myself ~ but I have a feeling those silver medalists laid it all on the line. I think the US Hockey team will look back and be proud ~ they definitely threw down at the end and it made for great viewing!
I love the idea of a “Win Book” ~ I’ll have to start that! Great for whenever we’re feeling like we suck.
Thanks, Don!
.-= Beth Allen´s last blog ..Successful Weight Loss & Long Term Weight Management =-.
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Don Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:48 am
I’m glad you like the idea of a Win Book. It can be a pleasant reminder when we get down on ourselves and thinking it’s too difficult to get where we planned.
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Hi Don,
Thanks for sharing this, it is so important to pat ourselves on the back and be proud of what we have all achieved. Sometimes we don’t actually realise how much we have accomplished until we actually write it all down.
Congratulating ourselves on every jigsaw piece we put together is just as important as the final completed picture.
Beth
.-= Beth Hewitt´s last blog ..Successful Email Marketing. =-.
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Don Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:52 am
Little steps measured daily lead us along the path to our final destination. Celebrate the little steps!
Thanks Beth for sharing your thoughts.
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Don,
What a great lesson. I struggle with feeling not good enough a lot and now with this story, I think it will resonate in my head the next time I want to feel like I failed. I will continue to strive to pat myself on the back and acknowledge even my smallest victories! Thanks for this lesson… It was a great one.
.-= Susan Davis´s last blog ..30 Day Free Trial Approach to Goal Setting =-.
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Don Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:54 am
Thanks Susan,
I think we both understand how important gratitude is in life. This is just another way to appreciate the good in our lives. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
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Thanks Kimberly,
Celebrating the simply fact that we had another day “above ground” is a simple thing to remember, yet all to often taken for granted. So, I’m guessing you’re still buying green bananas
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for my win book . . . packed 2 more boxes!
XO
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Don Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Alright! and some of the kitchen too.
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Hi Don,
This is my first visit to your blog and I really like it! This post hit home with me because I am a lot like the people you describe in here — you know, the ones who beat themselves up when they don’t accomplish what they set out to do. I, too, watched that hockey game and it was an amazing competition, all the way down to the last goal in overtime. After having such high hopes, the USA Team just could not, in that moment, accept that they came in…second.
“Make a point of recognizing and celebrating your wins!” however, is such an important call to action! Practicing this habit each day makes life so much more valuable because we train ourselves to appreciate ALL the small things, not just the big achievements.
Thanks for sharing!
~Mary Lou
.-= Mary Lou Kayser´s last blog ..5 Rules for Succeeding in the New Economy =-.
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Don Reply:
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Hi Mary Lou,
Thanks for stopping by to check out my blog. I’m glad you liked my post and were able to relate to it. It’s the little things we do on a daily basis that really do make the difference. I’m glad you see the point of taking the time to celebrate them.
I look forward to your next visit.
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Thank you Don! This is something we have to teach others to do as well AND OF COURSE try to live by ourselves! We all need positive thinking!!! We all have to appreciate what we achieve! Wish you all the best! Take care! Regards from snowy Norway
Ingar
.-= Ingar Grondahl´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
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Thank you Don for sharing. It is Really interesting to know how people look at things with a different perspective.
.-= Sunshine & Baba´s last blog ..Lessons Un-Remembered =-.
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I used to struggle with this very subject alot. Your post has reinforced my belief that a victory is a victory upon completion. Not all things will come out exactly that way we want them but that does not mean that they are no important.
Thanks for sharing
.-= Jose H. Caraballo´s last blog ..Forget Your Why…Begin With Your Purpose! =-.
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So true Don,
Too many times the pressure is there to come out on top or not at all. This message is sent to young people all the time, and not only in sports. Great point to celebrate every win, no matter how big or small.
Val
.-= Val Wilcox´s last blog ..The Power of YOU! =-.
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Great post, but the ultimate goal they were shooting for was the Gold. The sad part they didn’t acknowledge the BENEFIT of just being in the FINAL Game.
Bill
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Hey Don,
What a GREAT post! You are so right, it is very easy to get caught up in the “would of, could of, should of” type of mentality. We all do it but, in doing so, we miss the “We Did It!” moments!
There is so much to celebrate in each and every moment and, even when we fall short of our own expectations, we need to give ourselves a break and remember that we played the game and we played it hard. That’s reason for celebration!
Great job!
Renee
.-= Renee Chase´s last blog ..My Boy of Summer – Update =-.
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Hi Don,
you are so right, we always have the pressure on us to win,its not always about winning,and we all look at things in a different way,everyone has something special to give.
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Don, this is a fantastic post! I think what we need remember is that the GOAL needs to be for each player to his or her very best individually and as a contribution to making the team work at its best. THEN, winning becomes a by-product. We all know that sometimes we win, sometimes we lose… but if we can “walk off the field” (get away from our desk, leave work for the day, leave from a meeting with a prospect, etc.) knowing that we did our very best… then we need to be satisfied with that. It’s a moment to be celebrated, because if we’ve “put in the practice” and done our very best, then we are winners.
I love your idea of a “Win Book.” I’m going to start one for myself!
Thanks for the great insights!!
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Don Reply:
March 27th, 2011 at 9:07 am
I absolutely agree with you Jennifer. I hope you find success in creating your own “win book”.
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