Running a home business and/or working alone means that we often have to keep ourselves motivated and focused–we have only ourselves to to please and our own goals and expectations to meet. I tend to be incredibly hard on myself–kicking myself when I miss a goal or lose a job and barely noticing when I do achieve what I’ve set out to accomplish. I think it’s important that we solo business owners find ways to celebrate our achievements and take notice of our successes.
In more traditional jobs, meeting goals, improving the profit margin or launching a new product line are all causes for celebration. Maybe a pizza party or gathering for a celebratory drink after work? Or, even a bonus or a promotion? Chances are, we aren’t making much of a fuss at all over each step we achieve as we grow our home businesses. And, we should be!
I think we should make it a habit to build in little celebrations when we meet and surpass goals, add new clients, make the sales quota, or whatever stepping stones we’ve established for ourselves in our businesses. There’s no reason we can’t take ourselves out for coffee, or meet a friend for pizza or a drink to pat ourselves on the back a little. Just because we work from home, doesn’t mean we can’t have a little Friday evening celebration or glass of wine to acknowledge the completion and accomplishment of another week of hard work. Meeting a group of former coworkers, colleagues, or friends to talk about work and celebrate successes is a great activity for those of us who might be spending many hours a day trying to build a business.
Part of the purpose of setting goals and making a plan for growing a business is to keep us motivated as we do the hard, daily work. But goals should be acknowledged and successes celebrated in order to keep us motivated and energized in our businesses!