CELEBRATING YOURSELF
How do you celebrate yourself? Do you acknowledge your accomplishments and milestones? What types of things do you give to yourself as a reward? Is celebrating an important ritual that you take part in? Or, do you struggle with celebrating yourself?
If you’re like me, the mere thought of celebration often leads to hesitation. Sometimes, I pause and question whether or not I deserve to celebrate, or who will be there to acknowledge me. Fortunately, I have trained myself to consider a better perspective. I reassure myself that I am 100% worthy and that my life is surrounded with Love.
Whenever I wrestle with limiting beliefs and weird ideas, I have found two things that comfort me. Number one, the knowing that those beliefs and ideas are not who I am, only thoughts that come and go. And number two, how my current mental-emotional work is progressively outweighing any limitation that surfaces. The more I stay centered and focused, the more capable I am of transforming my past mindset into the one I choose.
THE TYPICAL RESPONSE - THE SAD TRUTH
When it comes down to it, many of us have a difficult time with celebrations in general. This usually arises from painful childhood memories of unmet expectations during crucial celebration moments. There might have been a birthday that fell short of people or gifts, or a graduation where someone important never attended. Whatever the case, we were left feeling overlooked, forgotten, and eventually unworthy of celebration.
This creates a whole set of emotional complications that leads to two possible patterns later in life. Number one, we pass right over our accomplishments and big moments, and never take the time to celebrate ourselves. The second pattern is even worse. We accomplish something big, and then choose to compare it to someone or something around us, and thus, believe that what we did (and who we are) wasn’t good enough. This second pattern is basically the opposite of celebration, and actually degrades our self-concept (self-image + self-esteem). With these patterns outlined, we can more clearly see the problem and what we want to avoid in the future.
DEFINING CELEBRATION - DOUBLE A
With more awareness around the typical responses, we can now choose to strive for something more functional. This brings us to the importance of defining proper celebration for ourselves. So what is the foundation of celebration? My outlook on it includes two primary factors: acknowledgment and appreciation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In order for us to celebrate, we must first acknowledge what we did or what milestone is happening. We must step back and observe exactly what we have done. Maybe it was a certain project at work, or achieving a goal in less time, or maybe even a new place traveled to. Identifying the details along with everything and everyone involved is always important to acknowledge. The key is to recognize how far we have come, no matter how small or big, and also allow others to be part of the process.
APPRECIATION
Appreciation is a gesture or reward that symbolizes gratitude, and improves our state of being. This might involve a gathering or party with loved ones, or a special gift, or maybe even a food indulgence. When we appreciate ourselves we are communicating (saying and feeling) the message of thank you. Being grateful takes us into a better state of being—the state of grace. In this sense, it’s about presence of mind and concentrating on all the good that is happening now.
Celebrating yourself is not just about what you did or what milestone you hit; but on a deeper level, it’s about who you became in the process and how you changed for the better.
Therefore, the formula for proper celebration is: acknowledgment + appreciation = celebration. So the next time you accomplish anything, make sure you include these two awesome components, and follow the formula. Finally, I encourage that you look at celebrating on various levels, including your small, medium, and large victories. So, how do you celebrate your small accomplishments vs. your medium and large ones?
THE QUANTUM EFFECT - YOUR GARDEN OF LIFE
Every time you take action in the direction of your dreams, you metaphorically plant new seeds in the garden of your life. When you celebrate your actions you provide the perfect nourishment for your seeds. Acknowledgment is like the sunlight that shines light on your actions, and appreciation is like the water that provides the nutrition. Eventually your plants grow, and you get to reap what you sow, which are your results. Celebrating encourages more inspired action that leads to even better results. As the fruits of your labor fall, they spread abundantly more seeds in your garden. One properly nourished seed grows into a plant that produces many more seeds, which then builds exponentially—creating a quantum effect. Imagine how beautiful your garden can be if you do what you love, and celebrate often.
3 KEY ELEMENTS FOR BETTER CELEBRATIONS
1. MAKE CELEBRATION A DAILY THING
The easiest way to do this is to take a moment every night to acknowledge what you did (no matter how small or big) and appreciate your efforts by rewarding yourself with a good night’s sleep. Take 5 minutes to do this in your mind. Or if you like, take a little more time and journal it out. Either way, it’s an amazing exercise. The great thing about this is that it is simple and it ends the day by contributing to the beauty of your mental garden.
2. ADD SOME DRAMA TO IT
When you celebrate add some drama to it. Make it exciting and emotional, and use your celebration to elevate your energy even more. Take the time to highlight your achievements by doing something notable for yourself. For example, when I go to a coffee shop to write and I have a great session, I finish by putting my arms in the air and say “Yes, I did it!”
3. CELEBRATE LIKE A PRO
When professional athletes score a point or win a game they celebrate in style. After scoring, they do a touchdown dance, or jump on top of each other, or high five. And after a major victory, they go out for a major celebration. Part of what makes them professionals, is that they are professional celebrators. They know how to acknowledge and appreciate every single accomplishment. So, next time your celebrate, do it like a pro.
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