That Thing We Often Forget

Commit to Reflect and Reward
Once the task is completed, stop and observe what has been accomplished.  Take some time to enjoy the “fruits of your labor.”  Allow yourself to feel a sense of triumph and pride.

Next, evaluate what you have learned and decide what you will do differently next time.  Conducting a postmortem will improve your future performance.

Finally, what was the nice thing you had planned to do to reward yourself, your family or your team?  This “reward time” is where you celebrate the great work done by all.  Having a reward planned in advance is also useful throughout the process to provide motivation and encouragement especially when things are not going well.

Here’s another take on celebration from innovator Sebastian Thrun. "It's important to celebrate your failures as much as your successes. If you celebrate your failures really well, and if you get to the motto and say, 'Wow, I failed, I tried, I was wrong, I learned something,' then you realize you have no fear, and when your fear goes away, you can move the world."