This is a big year for milestones for me and my company, Point A to Point B Transitions Inc. I founded my company in 2010, so this year I have been in business for 15 years. For some reason, this seems like a big milestone. I can’t believe I have been working in this business for more than one-third of my career. That’s bonkers! 

Last week was the two-year anniversary of the publication of my book, This Isn’t Working! Evolving the Way We Work to Decrease Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, which was dedicated to Carol Roth. Two years! It seems like yesterday, and also another lifetime. 

This May will be the 10-year anniversary of my TEDx talk. It’s probably even more relevant now. People finally seem ready to talk about the issues I discussed. It was hard to get them to pay attention a decade ago. I felt like the canary in the coal mine.

Or Chicken Little yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” 

It actually was falling, given our mental health, stress, and burnout crisis, but I felt like I was screaming into the void in 2015. 

As you may know, entrepreneurs can be even more severely impacted than corporate employees by stress, anxiety, and depression. Running your own business is hard. 

I think it is important to take note of milestones and to make the effort to celebrate. I know it can seem silly or contrived, or a waste of time – but it is actually a good way to stay motivated. Our brain gives us a chemical reward for having achieved something, which makes us want to have another achievement to get another chemical reward. It’s a virtuous cycle. 

And celebrating is fun! Do it right. Go all out. 

I don’t remember when my website first launched, but I know that I showed it to everyone, jumped up and down, and went out to a nice dinner with friends. 

I know it felt like I had reached a milestone when I had to hire someone to help me with coaching my clients. I celebrated.

Did you reach a new revenue target? Celebrate! 

Did you launch a new product or service? Celebrate! 

Did you finally finish a frustrating technology implementation? Celebrate! 

Our brains have a negativity bias. You will easily remember, and may ruminate on, things that didn’t work out, which is one more reason to celebrate the things that did work out. 

I highly recommend acknowledging your milestones and celebrating your accomplishments. 

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash