Celebrating wins, plus the secret to making habits stick
Catalina Margulis
I help speakers, coaches, experts and thought leaders write, finish, publish and market their books to grow their brand, business and impact.
The past couple of weeks have been huge for me. I’m celebrating wins like…
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-I got picked as a speaker-presenter at the CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) Convention in Costa Rica in December!
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-Authors that I totally admire are saying yes to blurbing my book !
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-One of my author-clients finished her book in 2 weeks and delivered a gorgeous first draft to me! (We set stretchy and attainable goals and created a plan of action, plus workshopped her outline, to get her there—it was not a fluke. ??)
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-I hosted a kickass mastermind with my incredible group of author-members who are doing cool shit like hanging out with Russell Brunson and attending the Emmy’s! (Message me if you want to learn more about joining us for the next one.)
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-AND I’ve locked in my dream venue for my book launch next spring! (Sign up for my #AOMLY newsletter for the chance to be invited to the party.)
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Plus…
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-My son got his first job—as a lifeguard!
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-The twins now have their own rooms!
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-My daughter has a big girl desk and chair and somehow, her shoebox room looks bigger because of it!
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MOST OF ALL I’M CELEBRATING BECAUSE….
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I can!
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Usually, the best part about winning, for me, is that it means I get to move on to my next dream/goal/passion project.
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Because, if I’ll be honest, it comes from a lifetime of not feeling, well, good enough.
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And now that I KNOW I am, there’s just that much more I’m excited to do, have and become.
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But it hit me a couple of weeks ago, that if we fail to celebrate our wins, we miss the chance to…
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-Be grateful
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-Acknowledge our teams, processes and leadership that contribute to our wins
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-Build positive habits (more on this below)
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So I’m committing to celebrating my wins and encouraging my writers and team members to do the same.
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Like Sarah MacLauchlan sings in Ice Cream, “It’s a long way down to the place where we started.”
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You and I have come a long way, baby. So acknowledge it.
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’Kay, your turn ;)
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Cat xo
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PS: What are you celebrating today/this week/this year? Let me know. I’d love to hear it!
Cat’s Mastermind Top Takeaways
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At last week's mastermind , I had the chance to catch up with my author-members, who have been busy prepping for Ted talks, launching events and so much more, in addition to writing books. They shared their wins, their struggles and their lessons along the way.?
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Here are some of my favourite takeaways:?
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Sorry you missed it? Ask me about joining my next mastermind.
How to Build a Writing Habit
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One of the things I help my authors do is build a writing habit. That looks like workshopping the optimal days/times to work on their book and helping them stay accountable to it (or helping them shift to a new strategy if that one doesn’t work out).
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Personally, when I’m on a writing sprint/deadline, I make it my goal to touch my book at least once a day, preferably first thing in the morning, so it can work in the background of my mind for the rest of the day.
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Just as, by working out at the start of the day, you kickstart your metabolism so it continues to burn energy at an accelerated rate for the rest of the day…
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Similarly, by writing first thing in the morning, you begin a mental process that will have your subconscious continue to work on your book for the rest of the day, bringing you new ideas to implement.
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The thing about creating a habit is…you can’t do it through willpower alone. It’s chemical, actually.
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Celebrating wins is the key to creating a habit. It fuels a craving/desire to keep showing up and to follow through, which supports future successes.
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And what’s the best way to celebrate and create that craving/desire? Have a payoff for good behaviour ;)
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That means celebrating wins, not just once the project/goal is completed, but at every step along the way.
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What that can look like is…
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-For short-terms wins/celebrations: Treating yourself to a Netflix show/podcast episode AFTER you’ve met your daily word count target—to reinforce that daily habit with feel-good hormones, which encourages you to show up again tomorrow.
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-For long-term wins/celebrations: Promising to buy yourself a new outfit from that store you’ve been eyeing, once you’ve completed your first draft, to help you keep your energy and enthusiasm up through to the finish line.
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So, quick, how do you build a writing habit?
-Celebrate your wins (short term and long term!) to get those feel-good hormones working for you, to reinforce positive habit building and create a craving for more growth/progress/wins.
-Find the optimal time of day to write that you can be consistent with, even if it’s just 20 minutes a day.
-Back up your clock and join the 6am club or 5am club, if you have trouble finding time to write once your day gets started.
-Find an accountability partner/group to support you in your positive habit building journey. (I just happen to know one ;) Message me for deets.)
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PS: Have a question about how to create a writing habit, get an agent, outline your book, and whether you should self-publish or not? Schedule a discovery call with me and find the right program and path to publishing for you.?
| Creative Copywriter & Storyteller | Elevating Brands by Igniting Emotions and Inspiring Action |
1 个月"Preferably in the morning, so that I can work in the back of my mind for the rest of the day." This—it's gold to me; it was something I sensed but hadn't made conscious. Giving space for ideas to incubate throughout the day reveals very good insights.