Celebrate every tiny victory!

We live in a very competitive culture. We are surrounded by people who will do anything to be the best, to be the one on the top of the victory stand, to get the blue ribbon or the gold medal. Sometimes it seems that the message is that if you don’t finish on top, you really haven’t accomplished anything worthwhile.

I am here to encourage you to celebrate every personal victory along the way to your personal goal. It really doesn’t matter about how your progress matches up to anyone else. When you are in the arena, “daring greatly” as Teddy Roosevelt would say, you are one step closer to your personal victory. And that is reason enough to celebrate.

When we say goodbye to perfectionism,

we open up the door to personal victory!

When we give ourselves permission to be less than perfect, we take a big load off of our shoulders and an even bigger load of stress out of our lives.  It enables us to see that the mistakes we make can still be stepping stones to personal success. And you get to define your definition of success.

I happen to like a colorful checkmark or cheerful happy face to acknowledge a job well done. J I also like to celebrate with a delicious treat. Sitting down with a cup of tea to savor the memory of a tiny victory works too.

After an introduction at a recent speaking engagement, the host said, “Let’s

welcome Olive with some applause!” And to my surprise, I said, “Yes, everyone likes a bit of applause—it makes everyone smile!” as I applauded for the attendees in the audience.

A distinctive part of every Toastmaster meeting is enthusiastically applauding every member for their contributions to the meeting. The applause acknowledges a willingness to be more than a spectator.  It helps to cultivate an awareness of small steps of achievement.  Celebrating those tiny victories creates momentum for taking another small step.

So here we are at the start of a new year.

Set a goal to accomplish something that is meaningful to you.

Then figure out your own way to celebrate your personal accomplishments.

Savor the victory with joy and excitement.

Then take one more step each day toward your goal.

2018 is a fresh start, a blank canvas. What masterpiece will you create?

When life is sweet, say thank you & celebrate.

When life is bitter, say thank you & grow.

Olive Wagar is owner of Organized by Olive LLC. She helps overwhelmed people discover the less cluttered side of life. She offers residential organizing and unpacking services.  She lives in Troy and serves clients in Miami County, Shelby County, Darke County, and Montgomery County.  She is Secretary for NAPO-Ohio and Toastmasters Area 5 Director. She is a Star Blogger for Professional Organizers Blog Carnival. She enjoys offering workshops and speaking presentations. She recently was a featured speaker at TEDx-Dayton 2017. She loves being Grammy to 2 sweetie pies in Tennessee.