What better opportunity to learn what works than success? Yet people rarely give success sufficient scrutiny.
Success can blind you with glory or lull you because the challenge is past. In either case, you forgo the inspection
that reveals what worked and why.

It's OK - even important - to celebrate success. Go ahead and pop open a bottle of champagne.
BUT also take a few minutes to imprint the success pattern in your brain.

Be honest with yourself.
Determine exactly what you did to succeed:

* How much of this success was due to my action?
* What did I do particularly well?
* What did I do that was more effective than what I have done before?
* How did I overcome the barriers to doing this?
* What could have gone wrong that I managed to avoid?

Transfer the learning.
Leverage your lessons into other situations:

* What is my next opportunity to try this?
* Are there different situations where I could apply what I have learned?
* What could I do differently that would make this easier next time?
* How can I improve my performance next time?

Find the hidden lesson.
Stay open and alert to unexpected learning.
Assume that everything you do is a learning opportunity, but that the lesson may not be the one that you want
or intend to learn. Cultivate your curiosity to find the free development gift that is hidden inside your daily experiences.

Taken from "Development First" by David B. Peterson, Ph.D and Mary Dee Hicks, Ph.D.