Celebrate your victories

Any challenge worth perusing will be difficult. The economics of supply and demand rule that the prize at the end of the fight would be worthless if it was easy to attain.

The challenger

Succeeding in a difficult challenge requires a few distinct characteristics in the challenger:

1. confidence (truly knowing you can win),
2. determination (deciding you are definitely going to win),
3. habitual ambition (always wanting better; and being used to getting it).

The (un-surprised) challenger

Unfortunately for the challenger, when these attributes guide you along the path to victory, the success is no surprise. In fact, not winning would be more a surprise because your confidence, determination and ambition made you:

1. believe,
2. decide and
3. want and expect to win,

respectively.

The (un-surprised) president

For this very reason, triumphant challengers feel very little emotional reward when they reach their goals. The victorious but blank face of Barak Obama tells all:

1. when you know you have what it takes to be the president and step up to the plate,
2. when you decide you are going to be the president and give everything you’ve got to attain it and
3. when you really want to be the president and presuppose you will be…

…what the fuck do you think will happen? You can hardly expect him to be shocked.

A challenging life

But therein lies the rub for us entrepreneurs and ambitious of all sorts. We get what we want, which is exactly what we expect from our hard work, and are left nonplussed, wanting more. And the bigger, tougher challenges begin all over again… The result is a life spent fighting the next battle instead of appreciating what you’ve got.

Time to celebrate

Try this: write your goals down and note why they’re so valuable. Keep that paper safe. Check it every so often, and when you’re ready to cross one off the list, smile and celebrate! Buy yourself a pint! Tell me and I’ll buy you a pint! But for God’s sake, don’t fail to recognise your progress. Life is far, far too short to spend it wishing for more.