Positive Behaviour Support & The Enablement Awards: Why Celebrating Wins is Important

This is a little bit of a lengthy post…but bare with me.

In our workplace a topic we have discussed & implement in our daily practice is ‘Celebrating the Wins’ no matter how big or small. This is important to note because the scale of success carries immense value into life, our personal growth, our business development, and especially with our field in disability support. And for the purpose of this article, this principle holds particular significance in the field of Positive Behaviour Support.

Let me explain...

From time to time we can all get down in the dumps over a few failure’s and can lose focus on the fact that it’s a learning experience as well (a little bit of perspective shift here). In the world of disability support, many with psychosocial disabilities, and people in general can struggle with having that positive ‘feeling of accomplishment’ and sometimes it’s just relief over the fact that a certain task is finished. I’m sure that’s quite a relatable feeling for some people out there.

In life, celebrating small wins can boost self-esteem, reinforce positive habits, and make that journey towards our goals more enjoyable. I think you appreciate the progress a little more which in turn motivates you.

In business, celebrating small wins creates a positive work culture where effort, and contribution is valued. Employee satisfaction increases, teamwork happens more fluidly, and productivity in turn can be improved. Small milestones towards a larger vision… or what some might say, small steps in the right direction.

In the context of the disability Industry, celebrating successes, no matter how small, provides that sense of accomplishment and self-worth. It validates the efforts of individuals, their caregivers, and support teams, and motivates them to continue striving for improvement.

In Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), celebrating wins is a part of the process. This approach is all about reinforcing positive behaviors and reducing harmful or disruptive ones.

• Every small step towards a positive behaviour, every tiny victory in managing a challenging situation, is a success worth celebrating.
• Each win, no matter how minute, signifies progress. It's a testament to the individual's resilience, the effectiveness of the support strategies, and the positive impact of consistent, patient efforts.
• It's about acknowledging the journey, not just the destination, and understanding that every step forward is a step towards success.

Outside of getting out and about having some fun with some friends which is a win (which you'll see in the photo above of some of our PBS team playing some live-action among us with the Buzz-lightyear pose).

Some examples of ‘Celebrating Wins’ for some could be:

• Getting up in the morning
• Making your bed when you hadn’t for days and that was something you wanted to change
• Communicating that hard conversation you wanted to have with that friend
• Finally submitting that assignment you had been worrying about
• Going for that walk you said to yourself you would do one day
• Asking someone if they are ‘okay’ today or you yourself opening up
• Reducing a behaviour you’ve been wanting to change…slowly
• Increasing your independence
• Going to that event you've always wanted to go to
• Feeling 'relaxed' for the first time, and not feeling guilty about it
• Calming your thoughts when things were a bit too chaotic
• Even sending that email you'd been putting off...
• Being better at being more present in the moment
• Maybe you did some meditation today... woo hoo!

Or some others:

• Successfully implementing a new communication strategy that allows an individual to express their needs more effectively.
• Observing a decrease in challenging behaviors as a result of the introduction of a new support strategy.
• Enhancing independence in daily living skills by introducing adaptive tools or techniques.
• Noticeable improvement in social interactions due to a person-centred social skills training program.
• Seeing an individual actively participating in community activities which they previously avoided.
• Witnessing an increase in positive self-talk and a decrease in negative self-perception as a result of a self-esteem building program.

These are all ‘Wins’ for some people…and they should and can be celebrated.

Our staff make sure to celebrate the win’s with each other, every day… and they spread that joy, love, and excitement to those around them. Not just within our Behaviour Support team either.

However, the purpose of this article was not just to tell you to celebrate those win's...

It was to also bring light to a person who we wanted to celebrate a little louder this time. With our VOICE.

Maverick Clissold started off this company with wanting all VOICE's to be heard. And he is sticking true to that. He has been & and continues to be a leader in this sector for positive change.

Outside of his recent appearance stepping in last minute as a guest speaker at the Empower West Expo which he absolutely loved being a part of.

Maverick has been awarded a nomination for an Enablement Award for his work in Positive Behaviour Support at My Right 2 Voice.

For those of you who may not know, The Enablement Awards were created to “celebrate and reward excellence, innovation and exemplary achievements in the disability care sector in Australasia. The Awards recognise the rapid growth of this sector in the region and the capacity of individuals to influence and set new performance standards.”

From everyone at MR2V, to Maverick, we wanted to celebrate this achievement, and it’s well deserved. We are incredibly proud of Maverick for setting new performance standards in this rapidly growing sector that appreciates people like you striving for positive change.??I'm sure more would think the same.

Regardless of the result come time for the awards, the appreciation and effort behind the work he has done, and everyone involved have won in our book. And that's worth celebrating.

So if you take anything away from this article... it's to realise that maybe you're doing better than you thought. And the scale of the 'win' doesn't really matter. A win's a win. So celebrate that.

MR2V ??

#EnablementAwards #PositiveBehaviourSupport #DisabilitySupport #NDIS