Celebrating Your Wins (Big and Small)
Scenario 1
“You’re writing a book? That’s so cool! You’re like [insert big, famous author name here]”
It’s well-meaning, and it may give you a moment of joy but that moment is followed by that monster of self-doubt. They said [big, famous author name]. You’re not like [big, famous author name]. You’ll never be like [big, famous author name]! They’re [big, famous author name!] You’re just you.
Scenario 2
There you are, happily writing along and then BANG! You’ve hit it. Writer’s block. You take a second. NBD. It happens all the time to all the writers. You brush yourself off, and put pen to paper/fingers to keys. The pen hovers over the page. Your fingers tap the keys. No words appear. Damn-ass block.
Scenario 3
Everyone is passing their writing milestones but you. Jessica wrote 1500 words today. You wrote 500. And you’re pretty sure 495 of them are crap. Snails are faster than you.
The writing struggle is real.
Celebrating is important. Don’t overlook it.
Your Definition of “Wins” Might be Too Narrow
What is your definition of a win? Getting a book deal? Publishing a best-selling novel? Those are some pretty cherry wins; but how many things have to happen before those wins happen?
Let’s reframe (while still including those sweet-ass wins). A win is anything that moves you forward in your writing journey.
Writing for a specific amount of time, regardless of word count. Your life is busy. It is a big deal to be able to find time and write!
Blasting through that writer’s block even if it’s just for a single day (and don’t forget I have a resource to help with that!)
Getting positive feedback
Why Celebration Matters More than You Think
Society tells us (especially women) that we have to remain humble. Screw that! There are a lot of benefits to celebration. Celebrating the small wins builds momentum and keeps us going. It’s like how checking off a to-do list releases endorphins.
Scenario 1 addresses self doubt. When you celebrate the small wins, you combat those moments of self-doubt and build confidence so it becomes easier to battle self-doubt.
Celebration recognizes progress, which makes you more likely to show up for yourself and your writing the next time (which is hopefully the very next day!)
And of course, celebration is fun! And you’ll be able to find joy in the progress of writing, not just in the outcome.
How to Actually Celebrate
Far be it from me to tell you how to celebrate; we all celebrate differently. But if you’re not used to it, it can be difficult to know how to do it. What to do. When to do it. I get it. Remember? Society and humility and all that BS.
I’m all for delayed gratification; it’s like I need to prove to myself that I’ve got discipline out the wazoo, but if you delay that gratification for too long, you forget to actually be gratified.
Don’t delay; celebrate today!
