It's a Celebration! The Benefits of Daily Celebration and tips to use TODAY.
Who doesn't like a good ol' celebration?! What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of celebrating? We culturally celebrate for many reasons...promotions, births, holidays, birthdays. Shoot...some have birthday months! We celebrate because it feels good. There is actually a physiological reason we are feeling amazing when we get festive. Our brain releases a beautiful cocktail of chemicals.
The main ingredients: oxytocin, which is associated with bonding and happiness and is released when you're around other people; noradrenaline, which skyrockets when you socialize and makes you feel energized and happy; and endorphins, feel-good chemicals that are released when you laugh and dance.
So, what do you think would happen if we celebrate on the daily?! What if we celebrate for our daily, weekly, and monthly accomplishments? We are inundated with all of the things we need to continue 'work on' and progress in, either by others, or by our own inner critic. Don't get me wrong...I think it's highly important to continue to expand our growth and services. Not at the cost of our self worth and self confidence though.
Often, we are making daily strides towards our personal or professional growth. Celebrating our daily accomplishments feels a bit awkward. Many of us want to acknowledge our work, but have been conditioned to believe this behavior is arrogant. We have also been conditioned to believe that this acknowledgement will create a sense of complacency that will prevent us from moving forward in our growth.
All of this conditioned thinking is actually false. Here are the actual benefits of celebrating daily wins:
- Stress Relief. Heeellllooooo. Look at the second paragraph again. How could you not feel good with all of those amazing brain chemicals releasing?!
- Motivation. Celebrating actually reminds you of why you are pursuing the goal in the first place, and it will keep you focused on your purpose and vision.
- Positivity. It enhances the positive in a world that has the tendency to focus on the negative. News is negative, self talk is negative. We need as much positivity as possible to overwhelm the negative straight out of us!
- Energy. Here I am not just talking about the physiological effects of celebrating. Going from task to task and living by deadlines throughout life is exhausting. Acknowledging and celebrating the daily feats helps maintain the energy and motivation to keep going.
- Resiliency. When we stop to savor the 'good stuff', we buffer ourselves against the 'bad' and create an ability to handle the difficult times with more ease. Daily celebrations enhance the positive emotions which makes it easier to manage the daily stressors.
The accomplishments do not have to be huge, though sometimes they may be. These accomplishments may not look 'huge' on the outside, though you know they are large steps for you that are breaking decades of personal and generational patterns. Your accomplishments may include: being truthful about how you feel, saying no to an unwanted request, engaging in self love and self care without guilt, creating self worth that is internally referenced, going to a therapist, leaving work on time, and investing in your personal growth and expansion, amongst many others.
Now that we have recognized the daily steps of self growth, here are some ways to celebrate and acknowledge these courageous acts:
- Create an achievement journal. Note each success, no matter how small and give yourself gold stars. As you continue to grow and accomplish more and more goals, you’ll be able to periodically look back through your journal to reflect on all that you’ve learned and accomplished.
- Identify a way you will be celebrating your victories. For instance, you may choose to go out to a nice dinner, or buy that nice piece of jewelry you have been wanting.
- Share the news! Let your loved ones know about your accomplishment. When I achieve goal, not only do I jump up and down, I share the news with my husband, my kids, my mom, my siblings, and my friends. When I started this form of celebration, it was SO awkward. My husband actually encouraged me to not share it with others because he believed it was a form of bragging or boasting. I can appreciate that he is still functioning from his conditioned self. And I fought against that for him, myself and our kids. I know that light is brought to what is celebrated. When I shine my attention on my accomplishments, more positivity will come....the law of attraction.
Now that you have the knowledge and the steps, it is up to you to shift your mindset, behaviors, and ultimately your life. Celebrate. Daily. Shift your mindset. Transform you life.
Much love and light, LJ