You did it! You won! Congratulations! There is just no question that it is much more fun and joyous to celebrate victories than it is to wallow in the misery of defeat.

If this is true, why don’t we celebrate more when we win? I mean really, sometimes we think that unless it is a huge accomplishment or milestone we surpass that there is no reason to rejoice. We simply move on to whatever we believe is next on our list.

Little wins should receive our equal attention and recognition as they pave the way for even better and bigger things to come. A little loss in weight, a week without a cigarette, another day of sobriety, and learning one new skill or technique are just examples of those little wins we can claim as success and there are countless other personal situations and battles we all face each and every day where a little win could make a difference in our overall success.

When we give ourselves permission to celebrate the smallest of victories we are actually developing our confidence and appreciation for who we are and what we have done. This is not something trivial to be overlooked or glossed over. Success begets success and when we set our expectations around what constitutes a win, we can then measure our results in a more meaningful and tangible way.

Just watch a Major League Baseball game where the pitcher may be throwing a great game, maybe even a no-hitter or shutout. With each strikeout or great defensive play the pitcher pumps his fist in celebration of the out. Now think about this, there are 162 games in the regular season and nine innings in each game, sometimes more when it goes to extra innings. But with each strikeout celebrated, that pitcher builds his confidence to face the next batter.

Celebrations could be as big or as little as the victory itself. We do not have to throw a big bash for each little win, but we should find a way to party just a little. Rewarding ourselves appropriately when we succeed.

Sometimes the festivities for our success will include a party of one as we enjoy the moment alone. And in other cases, especially situations where we have shared our goals in confidence with a friend, family member, or coach we may just want to call them, text them, email them, or invite them out to celebrate our achievement.

Wins are awesome and should be celebrated. Losses are fantastic too, just as long as we learn from them or grow as a result. And when you look at it that way, losses could be celebrated too if we did in fact learn something or develop ourselves in other ways.

I would love to hear all about how you enjoy the sweetness of victory or how you learn from your losses at gotonorton@gmail.com. And when you celebrate each small win, your week will be better than good.

Michael Norton, a resident of Highlands Ranch, is the former president of the Zig Ziglar organization and CEO and founder of www.candogo.com