Current e-Journal

Are you familiar with the delightful series, Welcome to Wrexham? The series documents the trials and triumphs of a football (soccer) team in Wales. One of the striking features of this documentary series is the theme song, with lyrics about the struggles of the team and the town, being up one day and down the next.

It’s the last line of that song that gets us every time:

Don’t forget to sing when you win.

That line hits to the heart of our work in social change. We complete a huge effort, perhaps one that took a year to come to fruition, maybe even longer. We’ve worked our buns off, and it was a huge success.

And the moment it’s done, we turn to the huge pile on our desks, immediately lamenting all that has NOT gotten done. We feel guilty and overwhelmed and anxious, feeling like we don’t have time to celebrate, because look at all that we did NOT accomplish…

Hildy and Dimitri often share the story of the day they cut the ribbon on the diaper bank they founded – the first one in all of North America (and possibly the world). It was a huge event, with 100 people in attendance including the mayor and almost all the city council members, as well as other dignitaries. The world’s first-ever diaper bank was now open!!

Unfortunately, the team had been so busy arranging the event that it wasn’t until a year later that they looked at the photos and said, “Wow, we did something pretty spectacular!” They tell that story often, reminding us of the importance of stepping back to celebrate – not a year later, but NOW.

This week’s Tool You Can Use Now is therefore a simple one. And yet it may be one of the most powerful things you can do.

Create a Celebrate List.

Every month or so, take a few moments with your team to celebrate what you have accomplished.

Go through your calendar, to jog your memory. Go through your emails, your list of recorded Zoom meetings. Go through old to-do lists.

And list it all, large and small. What have you accomplished this year so far, this month so far, this week so far?

Yes, that list will help you when you are writing your annual report and talking with community members about your work. More important, though - the very act of creating that list will be a reality check. As your to-do list continues to grow, so does your WE DID IT list! Sometimes just seeing all that has been accomplished is a huge pat-on-the-back. And we all need that acknowledgement, especially from ourselves.

So do the work. And when it’s done, remember to celebrate.

Find a way to sing when you win.