We celebrate a lot of things in life- weddings, babies, graduations. But what about the other achievements that might be less culturally recognized, however they have far more meaning in our day to day lives? We don’t take enough time to celebrate and appreciate the small accomplishments in our lives. Not everything needs to be an occasion for cake and family gathering, but are you making time to celebrate your every day wins?
I like to end my day with a reflection of what went right. Did I make good choices with what I ate? Did I find time to exercise? Did I rock a project at work? Did I appreciate the beauty of the sunrise? Did I put the dishes in the washer? Did I thank the cashier at the grocery store? Did I tip the server well at dinner? Did I smile at the mom struggling with a cranky toddler at the store? Did I let the car merge into traffic after watching them wait while others ignored their turn signal? Every day provides us with many opportunities to be kind to ourselves and others.
Promotions, adoptions, and holidays don’t happen every day. But the small actions we take add up to great moments. No one is going to be there with confetti when 4yrs of working out makes you finally love your thighs. No one pops up with balloons when your creative contribution at work saves a project and impresses the client. There is no cake cutting after your compliment to a stranger puts a smile on their face and lifts their spirit. But you are there, and if you are really “there” and living in the moment and looking for the small things to celebrate, then that gratitude can really shift your life. You deserve to be celebrated even when no one else is there to see it. Maybe just getting out of bed and going to work is something to celebrate when you are suffering from depression or a recent loss. You are doing great things every day if you pay attention.
Too often people create negative feelings around not achieving enough. How many women have defined part of their success upon settling down and having children? How many men have felt a failure for not hitting a certain level of income? These are false definitions of success that society or perhaps family have set for us. It’s our choice if we decide to give power to them. You are far more successful than you let yourself believe. So what if you don’t own that house yet? Have you traveled all over the world? Let your sense of adventure define who you are. No children yet? Have you loved and cared for a pet and given it an amazing life? Nurturing anything is a beautiful quality to be celebrated. No promotion in the last few years? Did you give your best to a job even when you were underappreciated? Doing good work even in times of adversity is an admirable quality to value.
Look around and see where you might not be celebrating your daily wins. I bet you will find you have a lot of qualities and actions that deserve to be celebrated. And if you need to buy yourself a cupcake from time to time, then you go right ahead! I see all of you winning each day. There is no one goal to define success except to ask did you do your best today. I celebrate you and all that you do.
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