Working to improve anything or achieve success takes effort and commitment. Lots of it. To keep yourself motivated and continuing to put in the effort needed to reach your goals, remember to celebrate your wins. It makes a bigger difference than you know.
Why acknowledging your wins is important to your brain
Celebrating your wins programs your brain away from it's natural tendency to "look for problems" in all situations. We're all programmed to survive. This is what insures the overall survival of the human race. Because of this, our brains are programmed to look for "dangers", or "what could go wrong in this situation?" When you add in any past experiences where you felt like you made a mistake or failed, you add more "proof" to your brain that maybe you should be cautions or pull back from putting in 100% of your effort.
There's nothing wrong with discerning whether or not something is a risk. It's when we overdo it and it stalls our efforts where it becomes a problem.
Celebrate your wins - the big ones and the small ones
Celebrating your wins programs your brain away from it's natural tendency to "look for problems" in all situations. We're all programmed to survive. This is what insures the overall survival of the human race. Because of this, our brains are programmed to look for "dangers", or "what could go wrong in this situation?" When you add in any past experiences where you felt like you made a mistake or failed, you add more "proof" to your brain that maybe you should be cautions or pull back from putting in 100% of your effort.
There's nothing wrong with discerning whether or not something is a risk. It's when we overdo it and it stalls our efforts where it becomes a problem.
Celebrate your wins - the big ones and the small ones
Celebrating doesn't have to always be a big thing. When you celebrate, it doesn't have to be a party. It just needs to be something where you slow down, feel what it's like to have accomplished something, and take it all in. Really let the experience of "winning" sink in. You can add something small like taking yourself for a mid-day break for coffee or dessert. Or even just a walk through the park. Anything that signifies to you, "I did a great job there and I'm rewarding myself for it"
All of your accomplishments are important to notice and celebrate in some way. This builds on your enthusiasm and bumps up your motivation.
All of your accomplishments are important to notice and celebrate in some way. This builds on your enthusiasm and bumps up your motivation.
Easy ways to celebrate
Take some time to just sit and experience how great it feels to have succeeded at a task or small step towards your goal. Give yourself even 3 minutes to do this. It takes only 20 seconds of feeling a positive emotion for the neural-pathways in your brain to begin to rewire in beneficial ways.
Tell a supportive friend about it. Sharing it with people who want the best for you adds to your feeling of accomplishment.
Write it down in a journal. By writing about it, you're reliving it and it imprints the feeling of success and accomplishment into your mind and your body. The more you do this, the more inspired you feel to keep going.
By having these feelings, these "rewards", your brain starts to associate effort with pleasure. You're overwriting your brain's tendency to feel threatened in giving it your all. If you happen to have an underlying fear of failure, which many people do, anything that feels difficult to achieve, (or has any potential for failure,) is viewed by the brain as a threat. The brain then sets up blocks to you following through on actions or decisions that would keep you moving in a forward direction towards your goal.
When you add rewards or mini celebrations in as you achieve positive steps along the way, you're showing the brain that it's not only safe to keep working towards your goal, but it's also pleasurable. You're reprogramming your brain to accept challenges as merely effort without it having to look for reasons not to do it. Use your brain to assist you, rather than get in the way.
Life is busy - sometimes we don't have time to celebrate
Life is busy. Take the time anyway. It's well worth the payoff. If you don't take the time, even just a few moments to recognize what you've done well, you're sending a signal to your brain to always be on the lookout for "what's wrong". You're repeatedly telling your brain to discount the feelings of joy. You're "practicing" something that doesn't support your success. By doing so, you rob yourself of the satisfaction and confidence you gain through your accomplishments.
When you celebrate your wins, It isn't a waste of time. It's one of the best things you can do to insure your success.
For those of you who use EFT, or tapping, tapping on your wins adds an extra layer of oomph to the result.
For those of you who use EFT, or tapping, tapping on your wins adds an extra layer of oomph to the result.
If you're ready to take your life to the next level, book a complimentary call to discuss your goals and see if we're a mutual fit.
Contact Info:
sumi@sumijones.com
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
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