Welcome to Tony Richards Messages

26 Celebrate your Achievements-Pt4

Welcome to this week’s message on leadership, self-confidence, and how to feel good about yourself everyday as you interact with people, in safety and comfort, at home and work.

Last week’s message was about Critical Step 1. Recognise and Embrace Your Uniqueness.
It is the step mostly closely linked to the very definition of self-confidence. (The mental attitude of having trust in, respect for, and reliance, on your own judgement and/or abilities.)
If you wish to be reminded of that message, it is also available back on the message page.

This week’s message is about Critical Step 2, Celebrate Your Achievements.
It is a wonderful message that provides us with an opportunity to practice a skill that we may not have used since childhood. It is the second of the Five Critical Steps that combine together to ensure your security within the Cycle of Confidence and Leadership.

Have you ever watched competitive team sport, of any kind, and noticed the hugs, excitement, and support that performers provide to each other at every opportunity? Even individual sports, like swimming and tennis, evoke exclamations of self-support and fist waiving after success. The tennis players ‘stare down’ to their opponents after a great rally isn’t one of apology.

It is a “how did you like that one, looser?” to their opponent, and is a Celebration of their Achievement at winning the point. This is not an accident. This is often re-taught by sports psychologists to help champions gain or maintain their edge in competition.

So why is it important, when did we stop celebrating our achievements, and how do we go about re-learning that skill? It is important because it reminds you of your individual value, it assists you to maintain your edge against the negative pressures of life, and it provides an opportunity for those who care about you to share your recognised value with you. And that makes everyone happy. It is an instinctive response that promotes confidence within you.

Having stopped Celebrating our Achievements, it is important for the reasons above to learn, once again, how to do it. And one of the best ways to start once again to Celebrate Achievements is to talk about them. How often on a Monday morning, or after an extended absence from work for any reason, do people sit around and talk about what they’ve been doing while they were away?

Many of the items of discussion focus on achievements. Yes! Holidays are an achievement, as are weekend barbeques, trips to the beach, cleaning the car and washing your clothes. Remember the definition of achievement is ‘a satisfactory realisation of YOUR efforts or actions’. The emphasise on YOUR is mine, as washing my car or clothes is an achievement that I am happy to proclaim, as I can be such a slacker.

Others won’t have to have the same view as you on what are your achievements because they will have their own view on what their achievements are, which you may not consider so flash.
The important point is to give yourself, and others, the opportunity to share in the Celebration of your, and their, Achievements.

It is natural, it is instinctive, and it is a skill that will enhance your view of yourself that you, and others, are entitled to see and share. It is one of the important steps in the process of maintaining confidence in yourself.

When you were young you couldn’t wait to get home from school and tell family and friends of any achievement. You were encouraged to do it. You would be on the phone to relatives who would offer encouragement and praise for everything you had achieved, even if was for something as simple as writing your name. If you didn’t have that support you were robbed. It is certainly a level of support that is deserving in every young life.

And do you think the excitement generated from achievements is restricted to children? Absolutely not! Have you ever observed an adult learning to ice or roller skate, or ride a bike? At the moment they become independently mobile the cries of “Look at me! Look at me!” are shouted across the park or rink as they scream out their need to share their glorious accomplishment. And who amongst their friends and associates won’t hear about it over the following week?

We actually stopped doing it, as a general practice, when we reached a stage in our young lives where we were embarrassing our parents. It is one thing for parents to say to visitors “show everyone how well you can…” and it was another thing for them to eventually say, “Stop showing off, nobody wants to see that”.

So, by the time you turn 25 years old, fewer people take notice when you say “watch me catch the ball, watch me catch the ball, then come and watch me jump in the pool, come and watch me jump in the pool”. Even your partner and kids will shy away with embarrassment.

Make the steps to practising the celebrations small and measured if you have been reserved for a long time but take those little steps often and you will notice that others will be interested and share their achievements with you. Tell those close to you, and gradually spread the circle, till you know just who will listen and congratulate you as you are congratulating yourself.

If you have no-one paying attention to your achievements, tell me, as I always listen enthusiastically, and respond with praise. I love hearing about anything that makes people happy. Celebrating your Achievements will make us both happy.

Please take the opportunity this week to think about your achievements and how much fun you’ve had celebrating those achievements.
Please email me on how you have had an opportunity to celebrate those achievements, and how confident you felt as a result of the celebrations, so we can share in the pleasure that it gave you.

Your stories – even short comments – are of great value to inspire others, and I would like to take the opportunity to include your stories, or comments, in upcoming episodes of ‘Special Interest Items’. They will be included as they fit into the theme of the message for that week.

Do you know anyone you can help with leadership issues, or just feeling good about themselves? Forward this message to friends and work colleagues; print it out and place it on notice boards, and give copies to those without computer access. Printing out, and compiling each weekly message in a folder, is a good way to build a total knowledge of self-confidence and leadership. It will provide certainty in dealing with every aspect of your life.

Next week’s message will be about Critical Step 3. Writing a Vision Statement. This is the Critical Step that links the first three Steps together, to ensure you never lose sight of your real value as an individual, and also displays that value to everyone else you come into contact with.
It will be followed in coming weeks by Critical Steps Four and Five.

Until then, please continue to see yourself as a unique and remarkable person, who deserves to feel good about yourself every day.

Tony Richards.

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