'Tis the Season to (Reflect) and Celebrate
The year is coming to a close. Have you ever wondered why we as humans track days, months, years, etc.? We do this to mark progress. Movement. To differentiate one span of time from the rest. This begs the question.
Why is that important?
The answer is simple. People like to compartmentalize things. Why do books have chapters? Why do we have holidays? Why do stores have sections? It is something intrinsic to the human experience to have order and routine but also to commemorate things to break up the routine.
This is why reflections and celebration are not only important but vital to our lives. When we do not stop and take time to stop, breathe, look back and celebrate our accomplishments life can become a seemingly never-ending cycle of all work and no play. (And we know what that leads to)
Here are three practices that can help you in life to ensure you reflect and celebrate:
Plan It! - One of the best ways to ensure you reflect and celebrate is to build into your plans. When developing your strategic plan for the year, doing a work breakdown for a specific project, or planning your week be sure to plan and schedule your reflection and celebration time.
Prioritize It! - Too often reflection and celebration are seen as "nice to have" or "when things slow down" activities. But the facts are these are some of the most fundamental practices for keeping yourself and/or your team motivated. Make sure reflection and celebration get the priority they deserve.
Purpose It! - It's got to mean something! Don't celebrate days that end with "y." When planning and prioritizing make sure to explicitly call out the significant milestones and accomplishments you would like to celebrate and how you plan to do so. "When I/we accomplish X, we are going to leave an hour early and have a paid celebratory Happy Hour at Y to celebrate (impact and efforts).
No matter how you do it, reflection and celebration are not only key to shaping your culture they are vital to accomplishing your goals and taking care of yourself and your people. CultureStoke is always here to help if you need help to increase your reflection and celebration skills and will be happy to celebrate alongside you as you accomplish your goals!
Happy Holidays from our families to yours!
With stoke + gratitude,
Marty Imes x Wes Love
