Taking Time to Celebrate

We all set goals for ourselves and work really hard to complete them. 
We do all of the necessary steps – we plan, we take action, and we complete them. 
And it feels great! 
And what do we usually do next? 
We move onto the next goal or the next project. 
And do all of the necessary steps – we plan, we take action, and we complete it. 
And this continues throughout each day – throughout our lives. 
And then something eventually happens where we start to feel resentful of what seems like a neverending pile of goals, and tasks, and “to dos.”
However, if we simply took time after completing each task to congratulate ourselves, celebrate our accomplishments, and reward ourselves – we would be much more likely to start each new task with renewed excitement. 
And the best part is that you get to choose how to celebrate!  
You can simply acknowledge a job well done.
You can finally take that well-deserved break that you have been pushing back.
You can put your feet up and read a good book.
You can go out for a celebration dinner with your family and friends.
You can take the rest of the day off.
You can take that vacation that you definitely deserve.
As a motivator for completing your goal, you can even decide on the celebration ahead of time. This will definitely keep you on task and moving forward with your plans. 
Taking the time to congratulate ourselves for a job well done is so important.
Simply following through and completing a goal is enough of a reward. And acknowledging this accomplishment is oftentimes all we need. 
But there is also nothing wrong with celebrating in bigger ways.
So the next time you set a goal for yourself, try setting a reward or a way to celebrate after reaching your goal as well. 
And then make sure you follow through and actually complete your goal and your celebration. You are definitely worth it, and you definitely deserve it!
P.S. – We are the featured member this week on the Etsy Blog Team! You can read our interview here! Thank you so much! 🙂

The Importance of Following Through

If you’re anything like me, your head is usually spinning with lots of ideas, you have started many wonderful projects, and you feel scattered and overwhelmed at times at the prospect of finishing them all. 
Because we are currently restructuring our business, I have had a lot of time to really think about how I work – what tends to happen – and how I can be more efficient and finish all of these fun projects.
Following Through
And while thinking about and talking to each other about all of this, Dan and I realized that it’s not so much the actual projects or goals that are the issue here – it’s really about keeping our word to ourselves – following through and finishing what we started. Because each time we do this, we are building up our self esteem – we are creating a habit for ourselves where in the future we will just assume that we will finish any project we start because that’s what we do. We know that we will keep our word both to ourselves and to others because we will have a proven track record of doing so. 
Creating a Habit
I started this blog exactly three weeks ago with the intent to post every day. In the past, blogging was one of the many projects I wanted to start and had every intention of keeping up with but seemed to get put into the pile of unfinished projects. This time it’s different though. I really feel that I have found my niche, and I am committed to following through and keeping my word to myself. A habit is formed after three weeks of performing it regularly – so yay! I now have created a blogging habit. And a wonderful bonus is that I get to write everyday and create this wonderful community with all of you!
Holding Yourself Accountable
Many of us make resolutions each January only to give them up by February. And this can really do a number on our self esteem. We will start to question whether we are truly able to keep our word at all. When future goals come up, we will wonder if we should even commit to anything given our past track record of not following through. This can be extremely detrimental to our own well being, which is why keeping our word to ourself is so crucial. 
In our Commitment Book, we created a simple system that holds each of us accountable for keeping our word. We emphasize that the goal itself isn’t as important as following through on it – it’s just an added bonus.
We suggest to start really small with your first goal – something that you know you can succeed at. That way you will be creating a habit and building yourself up to where you know you will be able to complete any goal you set for yourself in the future. 
Good ideas are only that without following through and
committing to making them happen. 
Create the habit one goal/project at a time, and you’ll truly be amazed at how good you feel about yourself – and imagine how much lighter you will feel when all of these unfinished projects that have been taking up space in your mind and home are completed!
What do you want to commit to today?