Why It’s Time To Celebrate Being an Entrepreneur
By Anna Johnson on August 26th, 2010So you’ve started an Internet business and you’re working around the clock trying to make a buck. It’s hard. Progress is slow. And everyone seems to think you’re crazy for leaving (or planning to leave) that safe job in order to be an entrepreneur. (Sometimes even you think you’re crazy…) Well, for all those reasons and more… it’s time to celebrate.
That’s right: celebrate. I don’t necessarily mean you throw a party or take a vacation. Especially if money is tight. You might, instead, celebrate by treating yourself to a movie with a loved one. Or by getting a massage. Or by going out for dinner. Or just by taking an afternoon off and going for a walk.
Whatever you do, just do something for yourself – something YOU enjoy – in recognition of your entrepreneurial efforts.
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Don’t give me excuses such as you haven’t ‘earned’ the right to celebrate. If you’re the typical entrepreneur, you’ll never think you’ve earned the right to celebrate!
There will always be one more hurdle to jump, one more mountain to climb, before you feel as though you deserve any kudos or the right to celebrate what you’ve achieved so far.
Which is why I’m giving you permission – no, I’m commanding you – to celebrate all the small victories you’ve already achieved on your entrepreneurial journey. That includes your decision to become an entrepreneur, and even some of your failures (i.e. learning experiences). After all, isn’t it a victory when you learn what doesn’t work and therefore get closer to what DOES work?
So why should you celebrate?
There are four (4) good reasons to celebrate milestones along your entrepreneurial path.
1. Celebrating keeps business fun
Let’s face it, building a business can be tough. Some of the work involved can be sheer drudgery. Incorporating small celebrations – i.e. rewards for overcoming various hurdles and getting through the drudgery – can help keep you motivated.
2. Celebrating helps your business
The second reason – which is related to the first – is that by celebrating and creating a business that’s fun, you’ll likely have a more positive and open mind. When you’re positive and open-minded, you’ll tend to see more opportunities, come up with more ideas, and in general, think better. That in turn, will help your business.
3. If you don’t celebrate your entrepreneurial endeavors… who will?
As much as the world needs entrepreneurs, it sure doesn’t make it easy for anyone to become an entrepreneur. And it sure doesn’t pat anyone on the back for embarking on the entrepreneurial path. (All the pats come later, if at all… usually when people want something from you!) So if no-one else is going to celebrate your small wins, it’s up to do you to do so!
4. Celebrating is important for a good life
Finally… this is your life we’re talking about! The harsh reality is that none of us know how long we’ve got on this planet. How sad would it be to think that we spent the last few years, months, weeks or even days of our lives, working ourselves to the bone, with no time out to recognize what we’ve achieved or no time for fun.
Remember, you chose to become an entrepreneur for a reason: presumably to forge a lifestyle that you would enjoy. But you don’t have to wait until the big pay-day to enjoy that lifestyle. By making celebrations part of your business, you can enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
And let’s face it, we spend much more time on the journey than at the destination… which is pretty much why enjoying the journey is MORE important than enjoying the destination.
So, what are you waiting for? Sometime this week – if not today – schedule in a celebration of some kind. You deserve it.
