​Our daughter graduated this week with her master’s degree and it has me thinking about celebrating accomplishments. We, of course, celebrated with her, and I am reminded of all the steps she had to take, and the smaller achievements she completed in order to reach this goal of hers; all the study, classes, projects, tests, interviews, etc., all necessary to get her to this point. 
 
On the journey to our goal, we sometimes forget to celebrate our little accomplishments. The small things are actually what get us to where we are going. They may not seem significant at the time, but without those small steps, you won’t get to your goal. It is important to recognize these steps and celebrate them. They are indicators of movement, taking action, taking the steps to reach your goal. 
 
Anything you do that moves you towards your goal is worthy of being recognized. It’s rewarding to feel that sense of accomplishment. You’ve checked things off the to-do list and taken the action steps necessary! Yahoo! That’s a win for you. Claim it. You’ll want to remember that on days when you don’t get as much done. That’s OK too, you have to have a balance of work and fun.
 
Your goal, your direction in life, is very individual. Don’t compare what you are doing with what anyone else is doing. The tasks you do, your daily achievements, are unique to you and your situation. Recognize them and celebrate them.
 
One of the habits I’ve adopted is to jot down in a small notebook, tasks I’ve done each day. It serves two purposes. The first is, it gives me a concrete list of what I have done. I can see and am reminded of the steps I’ve taken that move me forward. Second, I can use it for a reference, if needed, to see when I did something in particular. Everything is briefly noted, so it only takes seconds to record a task. 
 
Using this system helps me see what I am actually getting done, or not. When I look at the list and see several things I’ve worked on or completed, I feel good and know I’ve done a good job. That’s a celebration, a good feeling of accomplishment. If I only see a few small tasks done, I ask myself if I could have done more, I look at how the day went and why was it like that. I can identify whether or not there was something distracting me so I can correct the issue and be more productive the next day. 
 
In the past, there were times when I thought I did more than I actually did and other times I wondered, what did I do today? Having a system in place, where I can really see the work I did that day, has helped me work smarter, be more productive and feel the movement as I work towards a goal. Each day I can celebrate, “I did it”, and feel that sense of accomplishment. I see the action steps I’m taking and know I’m on my way. 
 
It felt wonderful watching our daughter receive her master’s, and as well, we recognized the small, seemingly little things she did to bring her to this place of celebration. Your goal or goals are also worth celebrating and it begins by recognizing and celebrating your small accomplishments daily. 
 
Celebrating and enjoying the small accomplishments each day will motivate you to keep going, to do what it takes, to try harder, or do what seems difficult to do. Celebrating keeps it fun. You have to love where your goal is taking you. Enjoy the ride, and when you get to where you’re going you will enjoy the big celebration too!