I was having one of those "entrepreneur moments", overwhelmed by everything I HAD to get done, feeling 8 years behind in my work, and not knowing which pile to tackle first. I started the day in anxiety and ended it feeling like a total disaster. This was the routine. In the middle of my overwhelm, I heard myself (my HIGHER self) say "Meghan... you are too busy struggling, you can't see that you've achieved exactly what you wanted. Can't we celebrate that?"
Holy Crap. Here I was, in my garden on a perfect morning, with my tea and my laptop, not having to be anywhere else. Two years ago, I would have been in a hot, cramped massage room, working on a client I didn't know, with 5 more right after, sweating, hurting and hating my life for $15 an hour. All I wanted then was Freedom. And I FORGOT, in my pursuit of the next "thing", the next "task", that I could be celebrating this transformation in my life every day.
We get so busy and so focused on what there is to DO, that we sometimes forget to stop and BE. To be proud of where we are, how far we've come, what we've learned, what we've created... The actual MOMENTS of our life get missed by the incessant "doing". Celebrations allow us that time for pause, for reflection, and for deep appreciation and value of ourselves. So let's Celebrate shall we?
Here are 5 Ways to Celebrate Your Wins:
1. Daily check-ins with a friend or partner to share what you are celebrating keep you both accountable and create a positive support system for each of you. It's a lot easier to stay focused on what's going well, when we have someone else doing it with us! My best friend Alissa and I have seen incredible successes and improvement in our mindset by committing to this routine! Neither one of us could imagine NOT doing it after the results we've experienced!
2. Grab a journal and title it "Celebrations". Much like writing down gratitudes, every evening before going to bed, write down 3-5 things you are celebrating about that day. There is always something to celebrate, so no matter what kind of day you've had, push yourself to find some wins! (Example: Getting out of bed and showing up to your life, even when you don't want to, is a celebration!)
3. Don't downplay your successes! When someone compliments you, RECEIVE IT! When you accomplish something you didn't think you could, ACKNOWLEDGE IT! This is powerful because it's retraining your subconscious to take pause and appreciation for everything you do! You may have been told it's cocky or arrogant to show pride for your accomplishments, and that's a bunch of B.S. disguising itself as virtue. There's nothing virtuous about not acknowledging how WONDERFUL you are. So kick that old belief to the curb and show up in full celebration of your AWESOMENESS!
4. Wear your "headphones" around naysayers. You know those peeps: the "Negative Nancys" and "Pessimistic Peters" of the world who know how to stop a good party when they see it. Their lack of celebration should not keep you from yours. Especially in the beginning of this process, keep your conversations with them short and sweet. (Side bonus: You're actually serving them by not engaging in the negativity. If there's no one to complain to, they're less likely to complain!)
5. Allow your celebrations to challenge you in taking more risks! When you feel good about what you're doing, you'll notice your confidence starts to grow. LET IT! Put yourself out into the world in bold ways (and of course, CELEBRATE those!) Confidence only turns to arrogance when it's not backed in truth. Arrogance is a disguise of low self-esteem. True confidence is the knowing that YOU ARE ENOUGH. So let your light shine and be freakin' brilliant! As that old Marianne Williamson quote goes... "it gives others permission to do the same."