01 Jan Don’t forget the past. Celebrate it.

As we begin a new year, the tendency is to look forward with great optimism. It’s a time to start again. To do better, to be better then we were last year.

In that hopeful state, we tend to forget the past. More importantly, we forget to celebrate it. To acknowledge the successes…large, small and even very tiny…that got us to this point.

Maybe you didn’t lose all the weight you wanted. Then please remind yourself that a pound or two lighter is still a success. Or what about that single business meeting where you really wowed a client…even if the reception was lukewarm for others. In that meeting you were a star. Remember it. How about that you managed to do business despite the bitter cold of last winter, or even get out of bed on those days. All of those are successes that should be remembered. And celebrated. Every step forward on the path is a good step. No matter how small the step.

As a culture, we do not celebrate success enough. We briefly acknowledge it and then move on to the next thing on our list. Acknowledging those small successes, every day, keeps morale up and keeps us going. It lets us to look at the truth of our daily lives and see the good.

Try this: Make a list. Write down all your successes of 2015. Personal, professional, your health, home life, everything. Big and small. And very small. Once you’re done, read it back. See what a great year you had. And smile.

Here’s to 2015. It was an amazing year.