Celebrate the Wins (Seriously, Why Don’t We Do This More?)

I was at a holiday party recently, sitting at one of those round tables where everyone’s making conversation, kind of like a wedding where you know some people, but not well enough to dive into anything deep right away. So, you do what everyone does in those situations. You find common ground.  

And what’s the easiest way to connect? The gripes, complaints and the same old daily grind.

Work stress, life stress, the weather, that one person who always sends emails at 10 p.m. It’s like we instinctively bond over what’s hard.  

Then, I heard something interesting in a recent interview that really rings true. Simon Sinek says that the best friendships aren’t necessarily with the people we share our struggles with, they’re with the people we can call up and say, “Hey, something awesome just happened,” without feeling like we’re bragging.  

That hit me. Hard.  

Because think about it, when was the last time you shared a win, completely unfiltered, without feeling the need to downplay it?  

Crisis Over Climbing

Somewhere along the way, we made it weird to celebrate progress. We built a culture where it’s easier to connect over crisis than over climbing.  

We don’t want to sound arrogant. We don’t want to make someone else feel bad. So instead, we keep the wins to ourselves and lean into struggles as the default topic.  

But what if we flipped that?  

Make Celebrating Normal

The Wealthsimple Slug gets it (yes, the commercial where the tiny slug throws a massive celebration for just crossing the sidewalk). Why do we only save our excitement for the big moments? And even worse, why do we so often keep those experiences to ourselves? Imagine if we made celebrating the little wins just as normal as venting about the struggles.  

What if, instead of small talk about problems, we made it a habit to ask:  

1. What’s something you’re proud of this week? 

2. What’s a small win that deserves a moment?  

3. Who around you has done something great that should be recognized?  

Athletes Need This Too

We coach players to reflect on mistakes and improve weaknesses, but how often do we train them to Celebrate their Wins? If we want athletes who are confident and resilient, they need to reinforce what’s Right just as much as they work on what’s wrong.  

So, let’s start making it a habit.  

And if you need a place to begin, drop one win (big or small) in the comments. Let’s Celebrate It!

No disclaimers. No downplaying. Just owning the fact that progress deserves recognition.