Why self-reflection and celebrating your successes helps you learn

At key moments – like at the end of a year or when you finish a project – it’s important to celebrate your successes. Because self-reflection helps you learn and improve your skills. And how it makes you feel will motivate you to become an even better video creator.

I’m writing this at the end of 2021. It’s been a challenging year for everyone. So it feels even more crucial to take time to pause and reflect on achievements.

Why celebrating is important

When we take a moment to appreciate what we’ve achieved, it makes us feel good. It also motivates us to keep going, because we want to feel that like again.

It’s a physiological fact that celebrating successes is good for you…

The act of celebration releases endorphins into your brain, which makes you feel happier and more confident.

Some questions to help you reflect on your video skills

To help you become a better video creator, pause and consider what you’ve achieved recently. For example, ask yourself:

Which of your videos are you most proud of and why?
Compare a video you made at the start of the year/project to a video you made more recently. Can you notice any improvements?
How has your progress compared to the goals you set yourself at the beginning of the year/project?
Are more people watching or commenting on your videos than before?
What new skills have you learned?
What obstacles have you overcome?

“By three methods we may learn wisdom. First, by reflection, which is noblest. Second, by imitation, which is easiest and third, by experience, which is bitterest.”
– Confucius –

Take your learning to the next level

To really benefit from this exercise, you can go a little deeper in your self-reflection.

Self-reflection helps you learn because it encourages us to look at ourselves objectively and identify ways to improve. It’s not as easy as celebrating achievements, but as the famous quote says: “Nothing worthwhile comes easily”.

To get started, write down these 5 headings on a piece of paper and start making notes:

Strengths – What are my strengths?
Weaknesses – What are my weaknesses?
Skills – What am I good at and where would I like to improve?
Problems – What problems are there that impact me or my work? How could I resolve these?
Happiness – What makes me happy or unhappy? How can I spend more time doing the things which make me happy?

If you find answering some of these questions hard, consider asking a friend, family member or colleague to help you. Once you’ve finished, read through what you’ve noted down. Are there any action points to take forward?

This is a great exercise to do regularly, so try to make it a habit to reflect at the end of each big project or season. It’s also a good idea to look back at what you noted down last time. You’re sure to be encouraged to see what extra skills or ways of working you’ve learned since!

Finally, if you’re feeling brave, you could also ask for feedback from others. It’s especially helpful if they’re your target audience as your viewers’ opinions can be really valuable in helping you improve your videos.