Celebrate the steps

Hi Friend

This week was pretty epic. I finished the rough draft of a book I'm writing about ownership culture. I've been working on it over the last 6 months. Well, really for the last 10 years. However since I moved up here to Minnesota it's been something I've been working on both consistently and sporadically, if you can do such a thing.

Last Sunday, as you might recall, I was going to run a half marathon here, since the OKC Run to Remember marathon was happening. I did. It went really well. The course I created took me out into some really beautiful scenery. I missed running with a large crowd and having people along the road cheering, but I cheered for myself.

Celebrating my steps! OKC Marathon in Minnesota!

That's two big accomplishments in one week. I also finalized an assessment tool that measures a culture's level of ownership. All in all, it's been a productive week with some cool progress milestones. It feels really good to arrive at this place. Granted, it's not concluded, it's just reached another marker on it's way.

Isn't that the joy and frustration of life? We'd all like to bask in the sense of completion, yet the things we finish are really just another step towards something else. Because there are multiple "something else's" happening simultaneously, rarely do we prioritize a pause to relish what we've attained.

CELEBRATE STEPS

In our day to day lives, no one is congratulating us for the work we do, the decisions we make, the discipline we exert, the courage we demonstrate or the integrity we uphold. And there's something inside us that resists us saying "Great job self, You Are Awesome!" We don't do that because 1) as mentioned earlier, we know of all the things yet still to be done & 2) weirdly, our ego opposes genuine acknowledgment of small gains.

MINDSHIFT

What if you were your biggest cheerleader and EVERY DAY you took a moment to sincerely congratulate yourself for one step forward you achieved?

That might seem absurd, but I challenge you to try it this week. When running a race, no one step is more important than another, until it's the last step. Hopefully it's across the finish line, but sometimes it's not. Celebrating each step matters, and empowers us to get to the finish line!

CONSISTENCY IS CHARACTER

Being consistent is the greatest compounder of impactful results. Yet, consistency is one of the least celebrated attributes. "Oh look, you showed up for work again today and did your job. Woo Hoo!" Nope, no one is getting recognition for that. It simply meets expectations. But dang, consistency IS hard to maintain!

Regardless of your personality, the mundanity of routine evokes a curiosity conundrum. There is an allure to the dissimilar that corrupts consistency. Small steps of inconsistency leads us on a path towards disappointment.

MINDSHIFT

What if you defined three critical daily practices that require consistency and then guard them with all your might?

The milestone of my rough draft manuscript is significant because I sent it to a handful of beta readers who will give me feedback. I don't have a title. It's not laid out. It's lacking graphics and a few data points. It's still months away from being in book form. Hopefully I actually cross that line. But who knows... we're not there yet. Not to mention a whole marketing campaign and then seeing if anyone will read it once it is printed.

There's still more undone, then done. Which I suspect could be said of a few things in your life, huh? I'm going to celebrate anyhow. I feel good, I'm proud of myself and I'm grateful I've taken this many steps to be here!

SHIFTING

I hope this week you celebrate the steps! Shift your mind to pause, appreciate and enjoy whatever small gains you're making and the consistency you're demonstrating. It matters! If you want someone to celebrate with you, no matter how small of an accomplishment, send it on to me and I will do a celebratory dance for you! #ShiftAway