"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."- Oprah Winfrey
[TW: suicide, suicidal ideation]
In the personal growth field, you hear a lot about celebrating yourself. This was a foreign concept to me. Why would I celebrate myself for doing what I'm supposed to be doing? It seemed ridiculous.
But understanding why we should celebrate ourselves, and what that really looks like, changed my perspective. I share this in the hopes of reminding YOU to celebrate yourself, too!
"I could turn my computer on."
"So, celebrate that."
This is a real conversation I had with a life coach I briefly worked with. But before you lose your eyes into the back of your head. . .allow me to explain.
At the time of this conversation, I was in deep depression. Like, I'm ready to let go of this life type depression. In a desperate attempt to find some reason to keep going, I reached out to someone I had heard speak at a virtual event I attended. This person's story mirrored what I was feeling at the time.
Without introduction or familiarity, I slid into their DMs, and just poured out my story. It was raw and hard and brutal. I was in so much pain and I had to either save myself, or let my life go. Thankfully, this individual responded amazingly. They stepped into what I was feeling, and met me there. It saved my life.
Which brings me back to that conversation. One of the things we focused on was what I could do, versus all of the things I couldn't do in that frame of mind. My coach asked me what I could do. I thought about writing, but that seemed overwhelming at the time. "Well, if you can't write, what could you do to help you take that step?" I could turn my computer on. "So, celebrate that."
But why? Why celebrate such a small, simple thing? In my case at the time, it was a lifeline.
Intentionally focusing on and celebrating what I could do meant really tuning into myself. I had to pause and fully appreciate everything that allowed me to turn on that computer. For starters, I was alive. My mind enabled me to remember to do it and how. I had legs that allowed me to walk over to where it was, and functional arms, hands and fingers to physically do the task. I had a damn computer that worked.
So this seemingly small thing to celebrate was really much bigger. It helped me understand that celebrating myself, my accomplishments, my work and all of the other positive things in my life was a way to shift my mindset, to cultivate gratitude, and to find light in darkness.
Benefits of Celebrating Yourself
Confidence-building -- Get good at being your own cheerleader so you can build a foundation of confidence to help you get through the rough patches.
Gratitude awareness -- Celebrating yourself helps you recognize all of the great things about you and your life, and allows you to be grateful for them.
Keeping your vibe high -- Making a habit of celebrating yourself maintains and strengthens a positive state of mind.
Manifesting your desires -- When you celebrate yourself, your wins and your accomplishments, you are calling more of that to you. The universe responds in kind.
Celebrating Yourself with Intention
The key word here is intention. When I talk about celebrating yourself, I'm not referring to mindless consumption to temporarily satisfy our wounds. Intentionally celebrating yourself could look like:
Pausing and reflecting -- Take a moment - and a breath - to really feel into the celebration. Deeply appreciate yourself, and notice how your body responds.
Writing down your accomplishments -- You have a record you can always refer back to when you find it hard to celebrate yourself. And remember to include the little things. . .like being able to turn your computer on.
Sharing it with others -- Let others celebrate you, too! Share something you're proud of, and let your loved ones reflect that back to you.
Cheers to celebrating yourself, my friend!
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