Sipping from the chalice of victory

I've had my share of defeats; some small and easily dealt with and others were life-changing moments that knocked me down and threatened to break me but...I don't break easily so here I am still rockin' it like a Titan!

I've had success too; victories small, medium and some so monumentally huge they've seemed almost unbelievable. Of course, it's small things combined that make big things happen so I've put one foot in front of the other, done the small and productive things consistently, and it's that which has brought me to realise those victories.

There was a time I was so focused and driven I'd go from success to success without pause to think about each one; I'd attain the result or goal, the victory, and simply push into the things that would carry me on to the next; I never stopped to celebrate the wins. Fortunately I learned there was a better way and that celebrating successes was something I could use to my advantage.

Celebrating a success, the achievement or attainment of a goal, rewards me for the effort that went into it, confirms that effort was well-placed and underlines the benefit that comes from hard work, persistence, consistency and so on; it positions me well for the next success-journey. Sometimes, those celebrations were (and still are big) and sometimes simple things, symbolic things...such as sipping from the chalice of victory.

The chalice

A chalice is basically a cup and you can see my cup chalice above.

The chalice was bestowed upon me by the gods who sit in the halls of Valhalla presiding over the mortal world, Thor, Odin, Freyja, Heimdall and their buddies, and is of immeasurable monetary and historical value. Well...maybe it just came from Amazon for $29.95 including shipping.

But...it's certainly of great value from a symbolic perspective and it sits upon my work desk and travels with me whenever I fly or drive away for work...and I sip from the chalice of victory to mark the occasions upon which I attain a good result and success...when I'm victorious.

I sip the sweet nectar of the gods in Valhalla from the chalice...otherwise known as red wine, whisky, Pepsi Max, water...it actually doesn't matter what the fluid is - the point is the act of marking the success with a small moment taken to celebrate the work that went into it, the effort, and to draw a line beneath that evolution, project or mission before resetting my focus for the next.

I have found that through this process my focus moving forward is better and I think that's because the momentum of each success builds. Previously, I'd push the last victory immediately aside giving it no more thought - the victory occurred and why waste energy thinking about it - but a moment taken to think on it and accept that I've done a good job is uplifting and that vibe carries forward. A sip from the chalice of victory is a focal point, and full stop and a re-set, and because it's a small thing it's easily done.

I once booked and paid for a five week holiday from Australia to Europe simply because I'd attained a victory, something momentous, and that was great but we can't go from big thing to big thing and ignore the little things in between...it's those little things that help create big things after all. Sipping from the chalice of victory is a small thing but carries great emotional and mental weight and it works well for me...I sip often because I achieve victory often.

I wonder if y'all do something like this when you attain a victory. How do you mark the occasion on which you've achieved a great result? Do you celebrate commensurate to the size of the victory or do you go over the top...or do you do what I used to do and simply move on to the next task? Feel free to comment if you would like to. A comment below will help conversation flow, but only if you want to.