Celebrate success

At the end of a work event last week, one of the participants on a programme I had been working with came to thank me for all the work I had done.

I always love that. When people take the time to say thank you, but I didn’t realise, until she pointed out, that I wasn’t taking on board exactly what she was saying.

You see, I was just doing my job. Trying to do it to the very best of my ability, so my auto-response of no thanks are necessary, kicked in.

It was only after she pointed out that I ‘find it so hard to take a compliment’ that I truly understood that there is often more to gratitude than just a few simple words.

As a person who offers thanks often – be that to a bus driver, a waiter, the till clerk at the grocery store, I should have realised that.

After all, what I mean when I offer those words, are – thank you for a job well done, for getting us there safely, for great service, for your friendliness and patience, the list goes on.

As it turned out, it was also around a year ago exactly that I found out that I had been awarded a lifetime service award for my years of volunteering with my local football club.

Thanks to Facebook memories, I was able to read through and truly take in just how many wonderful comments of congratulations were offered, but among all of those comments one also stood out.

That comment, from someone who knows how much I believe others are always more deserving of the spotlight, was along the lines that I would ‘probably be hiding under the table now because I couldn’t handle such praise.’

In many respects they were right. As the comments flooded in, my initial gut feeling was that I was hardly worthy and surely I was too young anyway to receive such an award?

But then I realised that I had indeed given over 30 years service to the club, during which time I have endured sorrow many times as young people passed away whose lifetime was nowhere near as long.

I have written before in this blog about the need to Prize Yourself, but what I also realised this week is that we should not only be delighted to take compliments when they are merited, but to celebrate success when it is achieved.

I was reminded of the Wal-Mart legend Sam Walton who passed away in 1992 from cancer, just a few weeks before my own father died of the same disease.

Sam had built the store into America’s largest retailer but aged 71 he once had promised that he would do a hula down Wall Street if the company reached its goal of a pretax profit of more than 8 percent.

When his company achieved the goal, true to his word, he strapped a grass skirt over his business suit and accompanied by some traditional Hawaiian dancers and musicians, he took to the streets in front of the Manhattan offices.

The billionaire entrepreneur is no doubt remembered for many of his business attributes, but for me the stand out one will always be this – his ability to celebrate success.

It reminded me that I should celebrate success much more than I do.

Do you celebrate your successes enough?

Time to give

At this time of year, for quite a number of years now, I have helped out one of the busiest people around by writing a few letters of reply to some boys and girls for him.

No money has ever changed hands for this, I have written the notes in the hope that they would bring a little bit of joy and happiness.

And, despite all the stress and pressure that people sometimes will put themselves under around the festive season, the reality is that it is often just small little things that can bring some of the greatest joy.

While there are undoubtedly people around who are motivated by a love of material things, it has been my experience that most people would be happier to have those they care about spend time with them, than money on them.

That’s not to say that you should not appreciate gifts – big or small – that people give, or should decide never to buy any either because there can be real joy in both giving and receiving.

But that is something that we should remember to bring with us into the rest of the year as well.

To do something beyond what is expected, to go that extra mile – just because it is a good thing to do.

It’s the difference between good and excellent service and it is usually those small extra things that stand out and make a real impression.

Heading towards a new year it is well worth keeping in mind, but for now enjoy all the giving and receiving that comes with the Christmas season.