Celebrating Success in Business and Beyond

Hooray; you’re here! We’re so glad to see you.

Let’s run with that celebratory energy. In fact, if you feel like everything is a grind just now, find something to celebrate. Losing energy, passion, focus? Jump on a Win. Doesn’t matter how small - just pick an element of your work-life to give yourself a metaphorical pat on the back - or a literal slice of chocolate cake - about it. Tell yourself: “Well done”.

When we acknowledge and, importantly, celebrate our wins, it’s not bragging. It’s not a waste of time. Our brain is positively impacted, releasing dopamine: a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and motivation. Celebrating literally triggers a positive feedback loop, reinforcing behaviours and strengthening neural pathways for future success.

Any improviser will agree: to celebrate success is a ‘Yes, And’ move, where you accept today’s W and build a pathway to the next.

Something final…

Some people don’t shout about their success, they just crack on, quietly breaking barriers. Take Hollie Davidson. You might not know the name, but she’s a rugby union referee doing seriously trailblazing work.

She’s the first woman ref in all kinds of ‘firsts’ across the men’s game. She’s officiated a Women’s World Cup final, run the line in the men’s Six Nations, and just last week took charge of the Challenge Cup final between Bath and Lyon. Next stop? Probably reffing a full men’s Six Nations match. Beyond that? The 2027 Rugby World Cup, surely!

“The more you celebrate in your life, the more there is to celebrate”  Oprah Winfrey, media mogul

What’s brilliant here is not just the list of achievements, but that Davidson pivoted from a playing career cut short by injury. It’s pure applied improvisation: when the script has to change, you don’t exit - you pivot and rewrite it. Success for some isn’t a destination. It’s just the next launchpad. Small steps.

Some pioneers don’t stop at the wins: they improvise onwards; fail forwards. And that’s worth celebrating.

👆 The 1990s - celebrating UK pop culture one glorious, heady month at a time

Something NICHE…

When I (Vic) worked on magazines many moons ago, I vividly remember the day my writing was first published. The mag? SKY International. October issue; Gillian Anderson was on the cover. We’d blithely ignored the publishing ethos that ‘green should never be seen’ and the logo was a sickly leaf tone. I can see it now.

When the bundles came in, no-one else batted an eyelid - just another day at the office, right? Not for this intrepid journo. I grabbed one, sat cross-legged under my desk and read it cover to cover. Every. Single. Word. I savoured it; celebrated it, page by glossy page. The rest of the office thought I was mad.

Decades on, I found myself celebrating our first-ever Seize the NICHE event: sitting on the train home and savouring every moment of the day - all the wins for the participants as they carved a firmer path on their business journey, all those moments where insights were shared and better bonds formed.

That evening, Paul sent me a voice note. “Yesterday we’d never done a Seize the NICHE workshop,” he said. “Today, we have.” Love that. A wee milestone on the journey. A quiet yet certified celebration.

To celebrate a business win, no matter how small, is to cement positive neural pathways and create a roadmap for Future You. It’s raising a toast to the manifestation of your dreams. Try it right now! ‘Yes, And’ yourself!

    “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count - it’s the life in your years”  Abraham Lincoln, US president

Something special…

The Little Big Things. I’m not big on celebration for celebration’s sake. I (Paul) like my birthdays low-key. Especially my own. But every now and then, life throws up moments that deserve a quiet cheer.

A colleague of mine just became a dad. His wife became a mum. On the same day! That’s worth a toast. Then he tells me he’s earned his PhD. He’s now Dr Dad. And just to top it off, they’ve moved into a new apartment in central Rome. Complete with a balcony, morning coffee, and a view over terracotta rooftops steeped in centuries of stories.

No fireworks. No red carpet. Just new beginnings, small rituals, and a view worth waking up for. You know, sometimes, the quietest moments are the ones that deserve the loudest applause.

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