Remember to Celebrate…
As the 4th of July week comes to a close and so many celebrations have occurred. I’m curious, when you accomplish a goal, do you celebrate or do you act as if nothing happened? Do you simply begin setting the next accomplishment to conquer?
My guess is you simply move on to whatever is next for you. Well, you’re not alone! Many people struggle to find the time and energy to celebrate their life let alone what is happening within it.
As proud independent US citizens, we have learned to get on the track and just keep going around until we reach the goal we’ve set.
As we check off each lap around the track, life is happening and we haven’t noticed the dense green grass in the center of the track or the pristine white lines on the fine black gravel as we pick one foot up and put the other down.
We remain completely entrenched in crossing the finish line. We even train our breath to sustain the challenge and get us to the end!
Unlike the athlete who bursts through the blue ribbon with their arms stretched high pumping in triumph, we quietly set the next milestone and start over again.
Imagine what it would feel like to pause and celebrate. Celebrating is a way to recognize the commitment, effort and work that you have put into accomplishing a feat regardless of the outcome. When you rob yourself of the celebration, you miss out on the opportunity to replenish yourself with exhilarating energy, which builds your internal reserve and confidence that you’ll be able to preserver and reach the next level in your quest.
What do you say when someone wants to organize a celebration on your behalf? Let me guess your words sound something like this, “Oh, it’s not a big deal, really it’s not” or “Stop it, other people do so much more than I do.”
I’ve heard these responses before! We minimize our success then we feel like we haven’t quite made it yet. So we wait to be happy and celebrate once we really, really make it, after the next goal! Sound familiar?
Well the time is now, the day is here and the hour is present. Pause, reflect on where you are right now and celebrate all that it has taken to get to this point in your life. Infuse the celebration with gratitude!
I have learned to celebrate the little things as well as the grander events in my life. Notice I used the word learned, honestly I’m continuing to learn and practice this every day! It’s so much easier to fly under the radar and not own our brilliance.
Create a celebration practice that is meaningful for you, not based on the way others celebrate. Here are a few ideas that I've used:
- Begin your evening meal or your next team meeting with this question. “What are you celebrating today?” Yes, this works at work as well! It’s a great way to infuse gratitude into the work place.
- Write with a celebratory spirit in a journal about what happened in the day.
- Take a walk on one of your favorite trails, as you walk under the branches, imagine crossing the finish line and hear the crowd cheering.
- Enjoy your favorite food or delicious glass of wine with family.
Celebrations don’t need to be a huge event; the important thing is they occur! Enjoy!
If you are struggling to create space to celebrate in your life or your team is stuck on the track going round and round not crossing the finish line, click here to set up a free discovery call with me.