Choose to Celebrate

When is the last time you celebrated a business success?

Think about the last time you spent more than two seconds soaking in a moment and honoring a big success? I suspect you will have to think for a minute or two to come up with an honest answer. I would also suspect most will answer – “I can’t think of the last time.”

On the flip side, when is the last time you complained about something inside your business? I would imagine this example came to mind quickly. What does that say about how we journey through our business?

If you are like me, my guess is that after this very brief reflection, you are now left sitting and thinking about all of the ‘could-have’, ‘should-have’, ‘would-haves’ of today, this week, or last month. Showing us again – the complaints or critiques come fast, while the celebrations come slow. 

What creates this practice of not giving time to the good and dwelling on the not-so-good? Maybe it’s a sign of the current business culture we live in that doesn’t accommodate anything but success; i.e. when we are successful – it’s an expected outcome. We see and know the win, but only breathe a sigh of relief and move on. When we have a complaint or problem, it’s a feeling of loss that jolts our systems deeper than the joy that comes from a big win.

As much as I am a positive person, I need help in actively practicing this ‘Celebrate over Critique’ epidemic we all face. So, I am going to practice living in the good moments we have at the NACC for a minute or two and share those successes with you.

I want to take this opportunity to truly celebrate the success of the NACC Staff Team. As we are all continuing to emerge from the pandemic, this team of women has put on literally hundreds of programs, met with hundreds of Members, and sent thousands of emails to keep our Chamber moving forward and leading by example. This group of passionate individuals spends each day tirelessly working to improve how we do our business, offer our programs and produce ways for you to engage so that YOU can move your Business Forward. I am so proud of our staff for continuing to put on relevant events, crafting and sending beautiful communications about our programming, as well as our top-notch advocacy work. I think it all adds up to ensure you get the best ROI on your Membership.  

One big achievement of our NACC Staff that I want to continue to acknowledge is the work that went into the U.S. Chamber accreditation process. This process happens every five years and the work that goes into getting re-accredited is intense – to say the very least. We found out in March that our status as an elite Five-Star Chamber was reaffirmed and this is a success we can celebrate, but came because each staff member poured their heart into making sure no stone was left un-turned so that we could make this massive achievement happen again. Our 5-Star Accreditation is an external validation of exactly the hard work and dedication I see every day from the NACC Staff.

While celebrating our staff (you can see and thank them here), I also want to celebrate all the great businesses opening or celebrating something BIG! In 2021, we did 32 ribbon cuttings and are on track to knock that number out of the park in 2022. We have so much to celebrate because YOU have so much to celebrate.

I can’t wait to see you out and about in our community, at our events, and when I do – be ready to answer “what has been your latest success?” We can always share struggles to help each other succeed, but let’s not forget when we DO succeed to give that moment its proper due.  

I encourage you to fill your May with goals reached – and when you are able to mark them complete…take a moment…relish in the achievement before getting back to work. The climb up the mountain isn’t worth the effort, if we don’t stop to take in the view at the top. 

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