Hi! Welcome to the 4 CreativeWheels newsletter — your weekly dose of insights on creativity and fuel for your creative journey.

We are in Week #37. As you might have noticed from last week, I'm experimenting with topics that relate to both creatives and human beings in general. I've been reflecting on those topics. I couldn't and can't help but share my thoughts with you.

In this week's issue, we will explore the misconception many, including my past self, have about celebrating their wins. And we will find out the overlooked reason for celebrating your victories.

We all have had this moment. The moment when we realize something was right in front of us, but we somehow miss it. It's there. Yet, it's after a certain event that our eyes are opened to it. Recently, I had a moment like that. It happened when I was reflecting on celebrating my wins.

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

Main Wheel

We all have had this moment. The moment when we realize something was right in front of us, but we somehow miss it. It's there. Yet, it's after a certain event that our eyes are opened to it. Recently, I had a moment like that. It happened when I was reflecting on celebrating my wins.

When you want to improve on something, you tend to think a lot about it. You practice the thing. You see where you did not do well. And you work on correcting your shortcomings. It becomes a habit to review what has happened to enhance the next step.

The areas you would give more of your attention to are the poor ones. It makes sense to give such areas more care. That is a great activity to partake in. Any human being who has grown, in any form, has engaged with this activity. However, some of us have had a misconception that affects our growth. Don't worry, I'm the first among the some of us.

I love getting better. I like to enhance whatever I see needs development. I enjoy being in that process. Hence, I have been giving my areas of improvement more attention than the others. But I gradually formed a wrong view of my wins. Wins seldom ask to be reviewed. And when you review them, it's usually to spot the dip instants.

Thus, even when the triumphs came, the first thing I leaned on doing was to pinpoint the dips. So, I used to be and still am, to some extent, reluctant to properly celebrate my victories. I do not pause and don't take the experience all in. There is a reason for that.

Whenever someone would say, "You have to celebrate your wins," I was like, "Yeah, that makes sense." I would hear another person declare, "You need to celebrate your successes." Still, my reaction to that was neutral.

Sometimes my reactions were subtly negative because the speaker would either be the type that seemed to love hedonistic activities or the type that seemed to already be at a level where the treacherous hard work had been done. So, when they'd claim that the celebration of your triumphs is essential, I would whisper in my mind, "You say that because you're not in my shoes. If you were, you'd understand that I can't afford to have fun outside of my work." And as you might expect, I was wrong.

It was not that I did not like to celebrate. I do love celebrating great things, especially great actions. I love to say "Cheers!" for greatness. It also wasn't my love of improvement that was getting in the way. The desire to improve cannot be an obstacle to celebration. That's bad reasoning. The real reason was my fear of stagnation. I feared that by pausing, I was restraining my momentum to continue flowing.

Therefore, I hesitated to celebrate my wins because I felt and thought that it could lead me to complacency. I did not and never want to be complacent. There is nothing positive in being complacent. And yes, there is a difference between rest and complacency. Rest is intentional and is part of growth. In rest, you ought to be fully immersed in the experience. You revitalize your mind, body, and overall yourself.

On the other hand, in complacency, you are lost. You are not gaining anything. The only thing that you might gain is a glimpse of relief from responsibility. Complacency lacks good intentions. It springs from clinging to the dysfunctional familiarity and fake sense of security in dwelling in comfort. Of course, I did not want that.

It was fair to fear and avoid complacency at all costs. What I did wrong and misunderstood was the connection between the celebration of my victories to complacency. That connection was nonexistent and irrational. It seemed to make sense on the surface. Yet, when I delved deep, I saw there was no rope. No rope tied these two distinct occurrences.

After that, I finally saw something I never got to see. Celebration of my triumphs was not just about feeling good. It was also not about having fun. Those things are great, of course. What I missed in the celebration of my successes was the fact that it would help me progress. I know it'd be hard to believe for my fellas who are currently in my past shoes. But, yes, celebrating your wins fosters more progress.

When you celebrate your victories, in your mind, you also count them as wins. By counting them as triumphs, you recognize them as steps forward. You're moving upward and forward. You're no longer at the same place you were before. And because they are counted steps forward, they demonstrate progress.

Progress is one of the best types of motivation. When you progress, you have more motivation to progress because progress begets progress. Hence, when you celebrate your successes, you give yourself a sense of progress, which will inevitably incite in yourself more motivation to move forward. That incitement propels you to enhance and develop. Therefore, celebrating your wins is part of the process of improvement.

It hit me when I realized that. For so long, I disregarded one of the most fun and fulfilling sources of development. Moreover, I missed appreciating the process better. Everything that happens is part of the journey, including the victories. I have to admit that I still am working on embracing that truth fully.

And I hope you learn from my mistakes. What is a win you did not properly celebrate? When was the last time you celebrated your triumphs? And how will you be doing that in the future?

As always, the choice is yours. But let me say in advance, cheers to the wins, cheers to the celebration of our wins, and cheers to the grander and stronger future progress!

Inspiring Wheels

Here are two (or more) creative works that you’ll not regret checking out:

• "Fred again.. - Studio Live (London, April 2021) | As we're in a celebratory mood, this section will be different. The wheels will solely be music to accompany the celebration. Here is a wonderful Live set from one of the most creative and experimental producers and songwriters of this decade, the one and only Fred again.. The way he mixes samples and chops and then plays the piano. Goodness. You just have to watch to understand.

• "Ludovico Einaudi: Tiny Desk Concert" - NPR Music | I dream to play the piano like this man. Ludovico's music is so effortless yet still holds so much power and is emotionally moving. Modern classical music. The first song, man, I have listened to it multiple times, but I'm still left speechless. So, enjoy!

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Thank you so much for reading! 

As always, feel free to reply to this email & share your thoughts, stories, and any experience related to this topic. I’d love to hear them!  

C ya next Week! 

Embracing Creativity™,

Richard M.

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