I don't know how you feel about birthdays, but I LOVE my birthday. A lot. If you know me well, you'd know I make sure everyone is aware when my birthday is coming up...sometimes even strangers! Even when I was a kid, I would plan for my birthday parties months and months in advance and draw up my own paper countdown calendar! Now please hear me out, I know this may sound a little brash. That's actually not my intention at all - I don't necessarily love attention and I'm not expecting presents. But what I DO love is CELEBRATING! I love birthdays because they give us a reason to celebrate people - to celebrate who they are and how far they've come!
And I actually believe that celebrating is so important. Sometimes we get so busy in life or focused on where we're heading that we forget to stop and celebrate even the small wins.
WHY SHOULD WE CELEBRATE
What I've come to find is that God loves celebrating! You might not be celebrated well by people, and I'm sorry if that has been your experience. You are a wonderfully, beautifully and intricately-made human, and you deserve to be celebrated. But even when you are not honoured by people, know that the Lord honours you! He celebrates you and your life, far more and far better than any human ever could!
Recognising and taking time to enjoy even the smallest wins in life is a sure way to improve your mood, remind you of how far you've come, and can give you the motivation to keep going when you're feeling a little flat.
HOW WE CAN CELEBRATE
When God taught me about the importance of celebrating, I made a list of things that I could do when I have a win! Some are big, some small - I encourage you to make your own list with things that you love and enjoy. But here is some inspiration from my list:
Light sparklers
Go out for dinner
Get my nails done
Order in a favourite meal
Have a dance party
Buy myself a small gift
Pop confetti!
Pump up my celebration playlist
I also have a weekly celebrate journal where I write about my weekly achievements, highlights, lowlights and things to work on.
HOW YOU CAN CELEBRATE OTHERS
You may not have been celebrated well, but you do have the opportunity to be the one that celebrates others. How, you ask? Make a big deal of people. Be extravagant in your praise and words of encouragement. Buy a bouquet of flowers, be as excited as if it were your own win, write a letter, buy balloons, pop confetti, bake a cake, and remind THEM to celebrate!
I've had some big wins in my businesses this week, so I'm about to pop into Coles, grab some confetti, have a dance party and watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics!
Even if your biggest win today was getting up and making your bed, celebrate it. How are you going to celebrate today?
T. XO
