Yesterday Went Well, But It’s Because…

“What went well this past week?” I asked one of my coaching clients. Let us call her Kendra.

She shared with me that the day before went well. Her clinical day went fairly smoothly, and she was able to go home at an earlier time. Before I could chime in, Kendra quickly added, “Oh, it’s because I had a few patients who did not show up for their appointments.”

Kendra was thinking that her day went well because she had fewer than expected number of patients to see. Yes, five people did not show up was a fact. She made it mean that the reason she was able to have a decent day at work was that less people showed up. She gave the credit to the absent patients.

Sure, having patients no-show decreases your patient load, which decreases the total amount of work you have to complete that day. Is it helpful to give away the accomplishment of having a better clinic day to having less patients to see?

What is another way to look at her clinical day?

Keep it simple. It is okay to focus on the fact that, to Kendra, it was a fairly well-run day. That is it. There is no need to have a justification clause.  Celebrate it. Imagine this is the beginning of many more smooth and relatively pleasant work days. How does that feel?

Celebrate you. Who have you become, or who are you becoming? Imagine that you are a step closer to the better version of you, the version you want to be. Every little milestone is worth celebrating. When you are going home 15 minutes earlier than usual is worth celebrating.

You are not comparing yourself with other people. You are comparing yourself with the past you. It is your own journey. It is your own race.

How does it feel to celebrate? Even though different people will likely offer different answers, the emotions generated are most likely positive and pleasant ones.

Why do we tend to diminish our achievements?

We do not give ourselves enough credits because we do not trust our ability. In other words, we give partial credit to the external force, to something we cannot control. It is important to embrace who we are, what we are capable of and what we will be achieving. Celebrating along the way offers us more positive fuel to gear toward our goals. Trust that we can do it.

Another reason for minimizing our accomplishments is that we do not think that we deserve it. As much as you want it to happen, you feel as if you are not ready for it. When you commit to doing something, fully commit to it. Trust that you can achieve it. When you reach that goal, celebrate it without any reservation. I believe that will give you more motivation to achieve more goals, as powered by your positive fuel tank.

By diminishing what you did or what you are capable of, you miss out on a fuller spectrum of emotion generated from celebration. The more you celebrate, the more you get to experience joy, even with little things.

Celebrating does not mean you have to organize a big party and set up a banquet. You can celebrate by yourself, and no one has to know that you are celebrating you.

Give yourself full credit for all you have done and recognize your achievements. Celebrate. Appreciate you. You will get to enjoy more positive energy to achieve even more amazing things.