Celebrate Your Success

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:1-10 ESV). Jesus very clearly taught that the life He offers is one of joy. At least one of the elements in experiencing this joy is the ability to celebrate our successes. It's also one that's easily ignored and even contradicted. The problem for many of us is that we never quite feel successful because as soon as we reach one goal or pass a certain milestone, we're already going after the next one. Too often we don't stop to revel in the feeling of accomplishment. We're too focused on the next rung of the ladder that's if we've even noticed we've moved up another rung. I'm not advocating resting on our laurels. I'm suggesting we truly experience the joy that comes from seeing our progress and accomplishing our objectives. When we don’t allow ourselves to celebrate the successes of our lives we rob ourselves of an important part of life. It's the wrong focus, and, when we do this, we're being ungrateful. We actually deny the abundance Christ came to give us. Of course we can always see ways we could have done it better or faster. But the truth is we did it. So celebrate it. Mark it as the high point in your life. Then start creating the next one. Indulge yourself in feelings of triumph and success, and thumb your nose at the natural tendency to disparage your work or yourself. What accomplishment can you celebrate? What milestones can you highlight or acknowledge? Your last promotion? Helping someone through a tough time? Winning that new contract? Losing those five pounds? Giving that presentation? When we do these things, it anchors positive feelings into our consciousness and prepares us for more of the same. Like attracts like and our feelings are powerful magnets indeed. I often recommend that folks keep a “Win List” as part of their daily journal. I find that listing the wins in life big and small is more than therapeutic. And it's a real pick-me-up to review the good things that have happened as well as the things they’ve made happen. It keeps them grateful and it keeps them focused on the good stuff. Celebrating our successes employs a universal law: when we appreciate what we have and what we've done, we find ourselves having more to appreciate. Start your own “Win List” today. See if the celebrations don’t begin to stack up as you focus on the good things God has brought into your life.