Don’t Be a Party Pooper

As they say, when mom is happy, everyone is happy.

But a lot of moms and mom business owners get in a rut when they forget they are running a marathon, not a sprint. Skip these two imperatives, and you will end up the house grump and may not reach the finish line:

• Follow basic life, spiritual, and business principles (do the right things and do them well).
• Have fun.

If you are a type “A” with the drive to plunge into your lives or even entrepreneurism, you might not always see the value of having a good time.

But if you don’t acknowledge our accomplishments along the way, you may be in for a long ride.

Not feeling and sharing the exhilaration of a getting through that pile of papers on your kitchen desk, actually getting the laundry put away, completing one of your least desirable chores, or at work nailing presentation, landing a new client, or making an intimidating phone call, demotivates you to tackle future challenges.

To not celebrate personal and business successes or put a low priority on carving out time for fun tempers movement towards your goals, costs you money, and has the potential to sabotage your business results.

We’re human beings…not machines.

Here are some ways you can celebrate right and regularly to keep your enthusiasm, creativity, and cash  flowing:

1) Family Celebrations

Every couple and family is different when it comes to enthusiastically hearing about your personal and work accomplishments. Gauge where you can at least share snippets of success. It’s helpful for your kids to observe you moving towards and achieving goal.  Your family benefits when you model how and when to celebrate all of your successes.

2) Friendship Celebrations

As a mom business owner, you may not fit in with the stay-home moms or the working moms, and vice versa. Don’t be deterred from sharing good news-personal and business- with good friends no matter their lifestyle choices.  Be sure to celebrate the great things that are happening in their lives as well.

3) Collegial Celebrations

To celebrate business success with other entrepreneurs particularly satisfies, validates, and motivates.  You speak a common language.  They get the significance of the baby steps you are thrilled to take. Here are celebration structures that work and don’t have to be reserved just for celebrating work accomplishements:

Accountability Buddy

Agree to call a colleague for a weekly 20-minute accountability call. Quickly go through a structured 10-minute outline of the highlights of your week, your celebrations, and what you plan to tackle for the next week.

Coaching Buddy

You could invest more time by trading coaching with a colleague. You may want to extend the weekly sessions to 45 minutes and alternate who is being coached and receiving coaching.

Mastermind Group

People rave about the accountability and support they receive in a mastermind group. Do a Google search to find a compatible group or start one of your own. Again, this group meets regularly and incorporates regular celebrations.

4) Personal Celebration

Your celebrations don’t always have to be public. You could reward yourself with a special treat, or a clothing item, or beauty product when you hit a goal. Scheduling regular pampering like a bubble bath to reward yourself for hard work done is another great idea that inspires you to keep taking those steps that make you quiver.

Regular celebrating, like good self-care, isn’t always talked about in business or personal circles as key strategies, but if you neglect either you may find yourself with a frustrating flat tire on your road to success and happiness.

Catholic Mompreneur Biz and Life Tips: Schedule regular parties to celebrate your success with friends, family, colleagues, and yourself, and watch your confidence, personal effectiveness, and business results grow.