Celebrating more than just milestones.
This week I celebrated a lifelong dream being (almost) achieved. I made a huge step towards something I’ve had on my list of goals since I was in primary school, but I’ve not yet reached the thing.
So why celebrate early?
One of my favourite things to unpick with clients is this societal belief that we can only celebrate the big moments - weddings, birthdays with a ‘0’ at the end, graduations, buying a house… And these are all magnificent milestones that we absolutely should celebrate. But who made up the rule that we couldn't celebrate the little things, too?
A particularly prevalent trait in Australia is tall poppy syndrome, whereby we’re quick to shut someone down if they celebrate a little too much or achieve a little too quickly. It stems from jealousy, and it’s not a nice look.
Imagine how great we’d all feel if we got to celebrate the little steps toward reaching big goals, as well as the goal itself! Ultimately, this fosters gratitude, which has been shown to help people feel more positive emotions, relish in good experiences, deal with adversity when it comes, and build strong relationships. It can even improve our health! So I say…
Instead of just celebrating the big milestones,
why not celebrate LIFE?
Doing so means that:
You get to celebrate more than once every few years - more fun!
The path toward reaching your big achievement is broken down into smaller steps - more reachable!
You increase moments of connection with those close to you, championing one another to reach goals - more camaraderie and community!
You live life fully, present, and positively - more joy!
This month I’m…
Reading: Crushing by Genevieve Novak.
Viewing: Stutz on Netflix.
Following: Young Adult author, Dr. Sarah Ayoub, on her book tour through country NSW.
Something else I wrote:
How to make it through the grieving process via Man of Many
