by Ren La Porte
Welcome to 2025! Whilst New Year’s is still being celebrated in the streets, you may have noticed people post one last social media message for the year – a list of their yearly highs and lows. Celebrating personal growth is not only healthy, but it helps us appreciate how far we have come.
In her blog, Dr Melanie (McNally, 2024), points out several important reasons for celebrating personal growth. (And they may surprise you!)
‘We don’t just celebrate the win; we celebrate to win.’
Quote by Whitney Johnson (Johnson, 2022)
CELEBRATING BOOSTS MOTIVATION
Highlighting a good experience motivates us to chase more of them. It comes down to a small chemical reaction in the brain – a natural release of dopamine. This is triggered by remembering a proud moment in life. The more you celebrate, the more of this ‘feel good’ hormone is released. It promotes a positive loop of success and satisfaction (Wang et al. 2017). This continual process is what builds life satisfaction.
ACKNOWLEDGING SMALL WINS
An attitude of gratitude has been known in many cultures, throughout history, to harvest great results. The science behind this is that it solidifies in our memory, what has been learned. When we are conscious of our little wins, it helps us to expand – ready to embrace larger wins. Dr Melanie warns that not celebrating the little wins, leads to exhaustion, stress and burnout.
ACKNOWLEDGING LARGE WINS
Celebrating personal growth after a big wins is also important. This is because it gives us closure.
‘Celebrating big wins also leads to more social and emotional support. We often tell others about these achievements, resulting in closer relationships, positive feedback, and enhanced feelings of belonging and connection.’
Quote by Dr Melanie McNally (McNally, 2024)
GET READY TO CELEBRATE 2025!
While many people are thinking about what they would like to achieve for the year, Dr Melanie also suggests considering what your rewards will be. She encourages each and every one to write a list of both small rewards and big rewards, in readiness for the year. She also suggests to get yourself an accountability partner to help you adhere to your goals.
Fredrik Eklund, author of the book ‘The Sell’, celebrated his first property sale by framing the sale sheet and hanging it on his wall. He did this after most sales and it boosted his sense of achievement. He went on to became the TV star of Million Dollar Listing New York (Eklund 2015).
TOASTMASTERS HELPS YOU REACH GOALS - AND CELEBRATE’S WITH YOU
Toastmasters gives you multiple opportunities to step out of your comfort zone and do something you never thought you could. This sense of achievement is what many members love and appreciate in the organisation. We also have a great deal of opportunities to help you celebrate personal growth! Whether in your modules, at a meeting, or through comradery and connection, we are here to support you as a trusted accountability partner.
REFERENCES
- Eklund, F., & Littlefield, B. (2015). The Sell – The secrets of selling anything to anyone. Piatkus.
- Johnson, W. (2022) Celebrate to Win. [Blog post]. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/01/celebrate-to-win
- McNally (Psy.D), M. A. (2024). From Small Steps to Big Wins: The Importance of Celebrating. [Blog post]. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/empower-your-mind/202406/from-small-steps-to-big-wins-the-importance-of-celebrating
- Wang, W., Li, J., Sun, G. et al. Achievement goals and life satisfaction: the mediating role of perception of successful agency and the moderating role of emotion reappraisal. Psicol, Refl. Crit. 30, 25 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-017-0078-4
Interesting Read – Reward & Recognition
