Celebrating Wins When You’re Not Used to Celebrating Yourself

Acknowledging success, one uncomfortable milestone at a time

As the year winds down, reflection is everywhere: what worked, what didn’t, what we’re proud of. I approach these moments carefully. I’ve always been quicker to notice what fell short or would need improvement than to name what went well.

Looking back on this year, I see busy days, late nights, self-doubt, revisions, and the quiet question that never fully left: Who do you think you are to do this? I see moments when quitting would have been easier. And I see myself continuing anyway, without certainty, but with persistence.

Then December arrived.

And just days before Christmas, two of my books received awards.

Erin’s Journal earned the Recommended Read Award at the Author Shout Book Awards, its second recognition after a Firebird International Book Awards win this summer in preteen fiction.

A few days later, The Little Book of Nosy Questions About Adoption received 2nd place across four categories at the Outstanding Creator Awards:

• Best Non-Fiction Book of Fall/Winter 2025,

• Personal Development,

• Educational and reference,

• Family and parenting.

On paper, these are celebratory moments. 

Internally, they were more complicated.

I didn’t enter these contests expecting to win, but rather as a challenge to myself. My expectations were low, not from pessimism, but self-protection. Hoping can feel risky when you’ve spent years believing recognition belongs to someone else.

Yet, I felt grateful. Honoured. And yes, uncomfortable.

However, that familiar voice showed up quickly; the one that says this isn’t really for you, that you just slipped through. Even with evidence. Even knowing every idea, every word, every page came from my own research, lived experience, and care. 

Imposter syndrome doesn’t vanish just because proof exists.

This year reminded me that success doesn’t automatically rewrite old beliefs. You can reach meaningful milestones and still feel uncertain standing in them. So maybe the work isn’t about suddenly feeling confident or deserving. Maybe it’s about not minimizing. About letting yourself pause instead of rushing past. About saying, This mattered. I did this. It counts.

This year stretched me and asked me to keep going without guarantees. Now, at its close, it’s asking something else: to receive. To recognize that progress doesn’t need to be perfect to be real, or comfortable to be meaningful.

So this is me practicing something new. Not a loud celebration. Just honest acknowledgment of the work, the persistence, and the wins, even when they feel unfamiliar.

If you’re finding it hard to recognize your own progress this year, you’re not alone. Celebrating yourself doesn’t have to look big or confident. It can start with a quiet moment of honesty, and the permission to share what you’ve achieved, even when it feels awkward to do so.

One uncomfortable milestone at a time.