Celebrate the Little Successes

Do you congratulate others for a job well done?  Do you compliment friends and/or co-workers when they do something you admire?  Most of us probably do.  But, do you acknowledge yourself when you succeed? Do you ever pat yourself on the back and feel good about your own personal accomplishments?

I was speaking with a student today who is retaking two courses which he previously failed, and I asked him how he would celebrate his good grades.  He laughed and said , “It’s no big deal, maybe go out to dinner.”  He made me think about how so often, we are focused on spreading ourselves thin between work, school, family and other commitments, that we forget to notice how hard we are working to achieve our own goals.

As a Student Success Coach at Excelsior College, I want to remind all of our students that you have much to be proud of as you continue on this path towards achieving your educational and career goals.  Think of each great discussion you post, each paper you write, each course you complete, each exam you pass.  They are the individual brush strokes that help create the masterpiece that is your future.  So please, take some time to reflect on how hard you are working, how you are balancing so much and still moving forward; reflect on your success and celebrate the little accomplishments.  You might see that this self-awareness motivates you to keep pushing forward, and when a time comes in the future when you’re not feeling as motivated (and we all have those moments), you can look back on these little successes and remind yourself that “I can do this, because I did it before!”