In a post on the Stage 32 blog, Shannon Valenzuela says it’s important to measure and celebrate our creative successes. “When will you say ‘I’ve made it!’ as a creative?” she asks. “Is it having your book in a physical bookstore? Finishing your first script? Signing with representation?”
Those are all great milestones, but what will prompt you to continue writing after you’ve reached them? On the flip side, what if it takes longer to get there than you hoped? Valenzuela says we should measure success in as many ways as possible. “Celebrating the wins you didn’t know were wins can help us show up at that starting line as many times as it takes,” she says.
- Success #1: Showing Up. “Sometimes the best we can do is show up for five minutes, or thirty minutes, or however long it takes you to get through the checkout line at the grocery store,” she says. “The fact that you showed up – even if it was for five minutes – is a win.” Like a good coach, give yourself a pat on the back for showing up, even when you didn’t want to.
- Success #2: Finishing (Anything). Kudos shouldn’t be reserved for getting a publishing deal or even finishing your novel, Valenzuela writes. Did you finish a chapter or scene or a page? Celebrate it! “If I show up tomorrow outside my front door and run a mile, I shouldn’t write off the success of finishing that mile just because it’s not the 5K race I’m hoping to complete in three months,” she says. “A creative career is more than the highlight reel, and if the only thing you’re counting as ‘worth it’ is the paycheck or the fame, it’s going to be a very, very long road.”
- Success #3: Progress. “Measuring your progress is a way of respecting where you are right now in your creative career while keeping your eye on what’s next,” Valenzuela explains. “But progress measured against a goal we haven’t reached yet isn’t always helpful. Sometimes the best way to celebrate our progress is to look back.” Compare your current draft to the first one, she suggests. Or compare your latest story to one you wrote last year or five years ago. You probably see marked improvement. Celebrate your progress!
