Remember To Celebrate You

Celebrating success is a concept that comes up often in life, and while some of us are admittedly better at recognizing our accomplishments than others, acknowledging business and career growth seems to come up short for many individuals. Whatever the reason is for not appropriately honoring business success, in a self-paced industry like travel, taking a moment to rejoice in the wins gives purpose to the work that advisors do and serves as motivation for the future. From tips for navigating the path to success to personal reward inspiration and best business practices, here are some of the ways to celebrate you.

Tips for the Journey to Success

As with anything, before you can celebrate a win, there must be guidelines defining what, exactly, the accomplishment is. For some, strategies such as SMART goals — a framework to help define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound criteria — might do the trick for keeping them on track. For others, a method like this can feel too rigid without room for adjustment or simply doesn’t feel effective.

Martin Mussey, a certified business coach with Nexion Travel Group, offers a different perspective for developing goals with a top-down approach. Instead of crafting goals for the immediate future and then working farther out, Mussey advises the opposite. “It’s easier to set mile markers backwards than it is thinking forwards,” Mussey said. “Bringing it to the world of travel, I don’t get on a plane without having a destination in mind. Then it’s, ‘How am I going to get there?’”

Expanding on the goal-setting process, Mussey contributes the idea of beating a personal best. Professionals select three to five categories they’re passionate about, which can range from a personal best booking or highest sales month recorded to the highest commission earned — whatever motivates the individual to work hard. Advisors set their goals, and once they’ve been met, it’s time to create new ones. This way, instead of feeling pressured to meet industry standards, business professionals are competing solely against themselves.

Regardless of which method advisors use for their goal setting, it’s crucial to remember that it looks different for everyone, and its effectiveness is defined by the individual. If a particular strategy isn’t unfolding as planned, re-evaluating and adjusting goals is a normal part of the business process. Additionally, the most important reminder in this process is to avoid comparisons. Criticizing ourselves against others can contribute to feelings of self-doubt and low self-esteem, turning something that once was a source of joy into an area of frustration.

“It’s very easy to get caught up in the world of ‘Oh, they’re performing at that level. Why am I not there yet?’ It doesn’t matter,” Mussey said. “Just focus on what you can control against your personal best.”

Personal Reward Inspiration

Once appropriate goals have been established and accomplished, it’s time to celebrate. Remember, it’s not so much about how advisors reward themselves, but rather that they do. It could be a fancy meal out or a small get-together with loved ones, but the main point is to make sure the milestones don’t go by without acknowledging them in some way.

Big or small, recognizing individual accomplishments is a great way to build confidence, alleviate stress and encourage future motivation. There are a handful of different categories advisors can consider when searching for their next reward, and self-care is an easy one to opt for. Maybe it’s a massage, a mani-pedi at the salon, a facial, a haircut or even a mental health day — whatever self-care means to you, making a conscious effort to rejuvenate the mind, body and soul is a fantastic way to show yourself some love.

If a day of pampering isn’t enticing, rewards can also be tangible goods. Perhaps it’s buying a special edition book that just released, splurging on some luxury clothing, purchasing a new trinket or gadget for the office, adding a piece of furniture to the house or upgrading a business platform. The point of buying the object is that it makes the individual happy, so anything that’s been sitting on the wish list for some time is fair game.

Investing in an experience is another route advisors can choose for their reward. Concerts, workout classes and a trip to the movie theater fall under this category, in addition to outdoor activities such as a beach outing or hiking excursion. Personal travel can also be considered an experiential reward. As Mussey noted, sometimes advisors get caught up in their work helping other travelers make plans that they completely forget to book their own vacations. Personal travel doesn’t have to be a big, extravagant trip, but rather simply something that fuels advisors’ love and passion for the industry.

Business Practices To Implement

Now that advisors have some ideas brewing about how to reward themselves as individuals, it’s also necessary to consider some business practices to honor those accomplishments. From a marketing standpoint, sharing milestones on social media not only promotes an advisor’s work but also attaches that success to the brand. It’s an advantage advisors can leverage to establish credibility for the business, in addition to contributing new content to keep posts fresh and relevant for the online audience. 

Another marketing tactic advisors have at their disposal is showing gratitude. “It’s absolutely your hard work and what you did, but you’re fostering relationships,” Mussey said. “It’s one thing to say it on social media, but also do something as a way to show your appreciation for your clients.”

Mussey suggests hosting a small gathering for loyal customers as a way to give back, but offering exclusive deals and promotions to these individuals is another option too. Both practices are rooted in the expression of gratitude, and making the conscious effort to reward clients goes a long way. Not only does it make them feel valued, but it fosters a two-way relationship that will help to encourage word-of-mouth referrals and solidify future opportunities for success.

Originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of The Compass magazine