“ The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
Oprah Winfrey
“A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man.”
John Adams
When you were a kid, what did you celebrate? If you were like most children, your birthday was a highlight of the year. You celebrated the last day of school, growing another inch, beating your big brother or sister at something. The simplest accomplishments became cause for celebration: the first bike ride without training wheels or your first jump into the deep end of a pool. If you’re a parent, you love celebrating your child’s accomplishments and growth. And those celebrations are personal – an accomplishment or discovery, rather than a simple event or acquisition.
Then we become young adults and the celebrations slow down: college graduation, the first big job or promotion, marriage, children, buying the first house. It starts to take a lot to generate a real celebration. In my corporate job, every “atta girl!” seemed to be followed by “and now we’ll expect even MORE next year!” Is it really a celebration if there are strings attached? It sure didn’t seem that way to me. I notice that many people celebrate vicariously through others: a child, a staff member, a friend, a favorite sports team. Celebrating someone else takes the place of celebrating ourselves. For many of us, an attitude of personal celebration becomes diluted by time, or tempered by skepticism or weariness.
As I was thinking about the topic of celebration, I realized that the amount you celebrate is a reflection of the vitality of your life, much like an EKG (electrocardiogram) is a reflection of the vitality of your heart. A vibrant, active person’s EKG is an animated bristle of lines. A tired, lethargic person’s EKG has languid, shallower lines. And, of course, a dead person’s EKG is a flat line. If the level of celebration currently in your life were plotted like an EKG, would you be vibrant, lethargic, or dead?! Is there abundant energy and enthusiasm for what is happening in your life, or only enough energy to plod through your day? What if your life were more joyous, confident, energized, and appreciative? That’s the effect that celebration can have! In the book, The Beethoven Factor, author Dr. Paul Pearsall reports that our attitude is the largest contributing factor to the ability to thrive through adversity. An attitude of gratitude and celebration propels us through even the toughest of circumstances.
It’s not hard to return to an attitude of celebration to enliven your world. Kids do it naturally, so you can learn from them. Look for ways to celebrate who you are, what you have done in your life, what you have learned, or the way you enhance the lives of others. I believe that celebration is so important that I begin virtually every coaching call with a celebration. For some clients, it’s the hardest question I ask! People are always prepared with a list of what they haven’t done or where they wish they had better results. Because it isn’t encouraged in our society, shifting to a focus of success and accomplishment can seem a little awkward and forced, initially. Like the Nike slogan of “just do it,” though, you can choose to “just celebrate it!” When you choose to celebrate, so much changes. I think it adds the following elements to your life:
Joy: Celebrating what’s good in your life allows you to let go of the struggle and be in a place of happiness. It taps into the anchors of joy and celebration we had as kids, when celebrating was a more natural process. And because what you focus on expands, focusing on joyful celebration helps to create more of the same.
Confidence: Celebrating your success reminds you of your strengths, accomplishments, progress, and perseverance. The more of these kinds of celebrations, the more you are reminded what an amazing individual you are.
Energy: Who doesn’t feel better when celebrating? The physiology of celebration – as simple as arms lifted overhead, smiling, and letting out a big “whoo hoo!” – heightens your energy level. Even athletes finished the most arduous races are re-energized when they celebrate their completion.
Self-esteem: To value who you are and what you mean to the world, it’s important to know yourself, know your accomplishments and talents, and know and appreciate the
effect you are having on others. Celebration is a way to focus in precisely those areas so you can have strong self-esteem.
What is the first step to “just celebrate it?” It’s easy: make a point of celebrating something every day. Celebrate what goes well, and what doesn’t go so well. Celebrate your thoughts, words, actions and results. Remind yourself to ask the following question multiple times a day: “What can I celebrate now?” Don’t put it off any longer, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Energize your life’s EKG with a little celebration. Just celebrate it!
