Are You Celebrating YOU Enough?

How often do you remember to actually celebrate your accomplishments, rather than just check them off your “to-do list”?

(Sorry if this one goes straight for the jugular — but this is important to talk about, especially for the freelance creatives out there).

A few weeks ago, my best pal Mel and I were talking about this topic,

(Then she wrote a super insightful newsletter about it which blew my mind, because she is a fantastic writer. You should subscribe to her newsletter so you don’t miss her other amazing musings!)

So, ever since chat, I have been paying closer attention to how I feel about myself and my work,

And it turns out, I am not good at acknowledging the work and effort that I put into my writing,

(And honestly, I have a feeling that might be a similar experience for you all too, which is kinda a mega buzzkill).

Is your task list holding you back?

For some context, ever since I started my freelance business,

(And, realistically, as long as I can remember)

I have used checklists and kept a whiteboard on my desk to document my daily tasks to stay on top of my work.

(Which, legitimately, I don’t think I could live without at this point).

But, somewhere along the way,

I went from,

“Oh nice, this is a great way to make sure I don’t fall behind on my work.”

To

“Phew, thank god I got that task done. On to the next!”

(It’s a small change, but it’s notable. It’s much more of a sense of relief for completing the work rather than a sense of accomplishment, which is kinda sad when you think about it).

And while at face value, this shift doesn’t seem like that big of a deal,

When I look back at the past few weeks, months, or even years of creative work,

I find it harder than I would like to admit to remember a time when I truly acknowledged and celebrated myself and my work when I completed a new project.

(And that is quite a sobering realization to come to)

We need to cheer for ourselves like we do for our friends

You know that feeling when your friend does something so cool, and you’re like:

“WOW, that is amazing! How did you do that??”

And they are like:

“Hahaha yeah, no big deal, it’s just something that I did, yenno?”

And you want to yell at them that NO, actually, it isn’t something small — it’s actually something super impressive and cool and inspiring and amazing?

(Praying this isn’t just a me thing, because the rest of this email is gunna go off this hypothetical story, lol)

I think it’s so easy for us as people to assume that the things we excel at are not that exciting or overwhelming,

(Or, if you are me, you assume that everyone else can do the things you can do just as well as you can).

But, to feel more fulfilled with our work,

(And to acknowledge how slay and talented we all actually are)

We need to start acting like our own personal cheerleaders,

Giving ourselves the same reaction we would receive from close friends who are always cheering us on.

(Because, at the end of the day, we are the ones who need to feel pride and accomplishment in our work, and all of that validation can’t come from external sources!)

Are you taking the time to celebrate your achievements?

So — how does this make you feel about your current relationship with your checklist?

When was the last time you actually celebrated your work, instead of just checking it off the list and moving on to your next task?

I challenge you (and myself) to take some extra time the next time you finish something to really celebrate what you achieved,

(Whether that means sharing it with friends and family, giving yourself a small treat, or just taking a moment to actually appreciate the effort and skill it took to complete the task as well as you did).

You’ll be surprised — it will make you feel better about yourself and your work quicker than you think.

Best of luck and way to go crushing your goals and doing great work!

Until next week,