Why You Need to Celebrate Your Successes

At the time of publishing this blog post, I had recently re-launched my online group coaching program, Teacher-Seller Virtual Assistant School, which inspired me to write this post. Sort of along the same vein of living in the moment, I think more people need to pause, reflect on their successes, and own the magical unicorns that they are, because we all have SO many successes that we tend to just ignore because we’re too focused on the next one we want to try to achieve.

In life and in business, it’s important to take a moment to look at where you’ve been. Many entrepreneurs tend to get really down on themselves because they “aren’t reaching their goals,” but they’re totally blind to what they’ve already achieved. I believe that no matter how big or small an accomplishment is, you owe it to yourself to recognize it and celebrate it! Here are a few reasons why:

It boosts your morale. Like I said, business owners tend to put on their failure blinders when they feel like they’re “not” achieving goals, so when you stop and take a moment to think about what you have actually accomplished, it is guaranteed to return your confidence and give you a morale boost!
It grounds you. Allowing yourself to feel like you’re failing makes you fly around making half-hearted attempts at accomplishing lots of random goals, just in the hopes of accomplishing anything to make yourself feel better. When you celebrate the successes you’ve already achieved, it brings you back down to Earth and takes your head out of the clouds.
Frankly, it stops your whining. You really have no room to whine and complain when you’ve realized all of the cool things you’ve done.
It refreshes your drive and motivation. Once you’ve reminded yourself of your successes, you might be surprised at how motivated you feel to attack your new goals! Taking the time to recognize how far you come is empowering and often gives you the little bit of gas you need to keep driving onward.
It gives you ideas for brand new goals and/or for taking old goals a step further. Reflecting on the goals you’ve already accomplished gives you the unique opportunity to allow yourself to explore the possibility of revitalizing one of those old goals – maybe you think of something new to try that branches off a previous goal, maybe you can rework it in a new way. Or, maybe you just feel inspired for totally new goals to set – and then, you know, conquer. 😉

My Business Successes

Not to be vain or self-centered, but I’m going to share some of my business successes below, because just like everybody else, I need to take a moment to reflect on everything I’ve accomplished since I decided to jump into this adventure of being a business owner. I hope that you can relate to some and feel inspired by others, and I’d LOVE it if you left a comment after you read sharing something you’ve succeeded at with your business!

Helloooooooo, I started a business! That’s a pretty huge accomplishment.
I signed my first client on my first day of business.
I’ve doubled my client list twice.
I became a pretty well-known and sought-after virtual assistant for my niche (and now I’m focusing on editing services only).
I had to start a wait list for potential new clients who wanted to work with me. It lasted for upwards of two years before it finally tapered off (I think thanks to more VAs entering the niche, which is great!).
I raised my rates and added a new pricing structure to offer my clients.
I was able to grow my business to the point where it could be my full-time job and my sole source of income. Every year since 2017, my business has grossed more profit than any previous job I’ve ever held (although that’s not true for what I actually paid myself).
I’ve added an extension to my business where I do coach people who want to become virtual assistants in my niche.
I created and launched Teacher-Seller Virtual Assistant School…twice…having never created anything like a group coaching program/online course OR launched a product on this scale.
Seven people enrolled during both launches, effectively achieving my goal of 6-8 participants per cohort. I had set a goal to coach six people in starting their own VA businesses in the Teachers Pay Teachers niche during 2017, so by the time the second cohort was done, I more than doubled my results for that goal. That also means that I’d already accomplished this goal by mid-March of 2017, which is pretty early in the year!
I was able to give myself nine days off in March of 2017 without worrying about finances at all, because my business was set.
My husband and I took a 2-week vacation to Europe in the fall of 2017; I was similarly not too worried about finances because of how hard I’ve worked on my business flow.
I had four clients ask to increase their hours with me in the spring of 2017, so obviously, I’m doing something right and keeping my clients happy.
Both clients and coaching “students” have provided me with wonderful, kind testimonials to share with others.
I customized my own website (using a theme I love) and made my own logo and button, even with my lacking graphic design skills.
I facilitated a live workshop in April of 2017. I haven’t done anything like that since college! There were only six people in attendance…but still. 😉
I applied to present at the Teachers Pay Teachers conference. I wasn’t chosen, but I still consider it to be a big accomplishment that I put myself out there to present at such a big event! Although this was a very specific goal I’d actually set for 2017, I feel that I still accomplished this goal thanks to #16, even though that obviously wasn’t the TpT conference!
I was interviewed for a blog post, and the interviewer specifically asked to include me because of my unique niche.
I started a mastermind group of like-minded TpT sellers in the fall of 2017, which is still going strong in early 2019 (and we just recently added a new member finally!).
I was able to keep my business running smoothly while I planned my wedding for most of 2018. I didn’t really take on any new projects, but I maintained the status quo for my business.
Also, I got married! That’s an accomplishment in my book, considering my husband and I had been together for upwards of seven years by the time we finally tied the knot. 😉
I spent most of 2018 creating two brand new product lines in my Teachers Pay Teachers store (my middle school grammar task cards and my elementary school spelling choice boards).
I attended the Teachers Pay Teachers conferences in 2016 and 2018, and I will be attending the 2019 conference, as well.
As of this update in March 2019, my Teachers Pay Teachers store earnings from January and February of this year surpassed the entirety of my earnings in 2016 and came within a couple hundred dollars of the entirety of what I earned in 2017. (Which means that by the end of March 2019, I’ll have already surpassed my 2017 earnings! Taking the time to improve your Teachers Pay Teachers store really pays off!)

Okay, like I said above…now it’s your turn! Share in the comments some successes you’re celebrating!

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This post was most recently updated in March 2019.

Why You Need to Celebrate Your Successes