Monday Tip: Celebrate Your Wins

Monday Tip: Celebrate Your Wins

Negativity bias is a psychological phenomenon where negative events are more impactful than positive ones. That means focusing on the negative isn’t totally your fault; it’s hardwired. This was helpful back in caveman/cavewoman days when you could be eaten by a sabertoothed tiger. Being on alert, and expecting the worst, just might keep you alive.

But now we’re not afraid of being eaten, so our negativity bias serves us in unproductive ways. You remember the bad dates more than the good ones (and use that as evidence that you’ll never find someone). You remember your failures more than your successes, and probably use them to berate yourself:

I suck.
I’ll never accomplish X.
Everyone else is smarter/better than me.
This is why I should stop trying!

Simply knowing our brains are wired this way can help, but there’s something else you can do.

TIP: Celebrate your wins, no matter how small. If you said “no” to something you didn’t want to do (instead of people-pleasing by saying “yes”), congratulate yourself for speaking your truth. If you walked a half mile (even if you were “supposed to” walk a full mile), applaud yourself for getting off the couch and lacing up your shoes. If you got positive feedback on a work project, let that boost of self-confidence sink in and reward yourself with a treat.

You can’t get rid of your negativity bias, but celebrating your wins is a way to balance things out a bit. To make this actionable right now, look back on 2022 and list at least 5 accomplishments, big or small. Write them down where you can see them, and when your self-esteem takes a dip, read them as a reminder of what you’re capable of.

If you’re finding this tough to do, hit reply to set up a discovery call and talk about options, including my Mastery group program where we actively practice stuff like this.