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With the holiday season in full swing, you may already have plans to celebrate this special time of year. This may mean:

• getting together with colleagues, friends and/or family for holiday parties
• exchanging gifts for Christmas or Hanukah
• traveling great distances to be with loved ones.

There are many ways people celebrate during the holidays…

How do you celebrate during the rest of the year? I’m not talking about formal special occasions like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries. I’m talking about how you celebrate other things that are important to you. This is something I often ask my clients after they complete a big accomplishment. What’s interesting is usually the response is, “I haven’t thought about that”.

In our fast-paced world, we’re always trying to do more, in a shorter timeframe.  Taking extra time to celebrate an accomplishment (e.g., completing a report, cleaning out a closet, paying off a student loan) can feel like a luxury.

Why not celebrate? 

People associate the word “celebration” with completing something MONUMENTAL. Plus, people often associate a monumental accomplishment with a BIG celebration. This may be true in some instances. But there are different ways to celebrate that don’t have to be expensive, time consuming or big! The ‘celebration formula’ is simple:

1 – Make a celebration list

Take a few minutes to list a few things you’d LOVE to do, but never seem to have time to do. These can be simple things such as:

• Taking an extended walk with your pup
• Going to get ice cream (or coffee) with your children, significant other and/or best friend
• Experiencing the new Yoga class your friends have been raving about. 

Don’t make your list too long and only include things that make you smile as you write them on your list!

2 – Plan your celebration

After you’ve accomplished something, pick one of the items from your celebration list. Next, find a time to do your celebration and put it on your calendar. This can be one of the most difficult things to do – finding time.

Once it’s in your calendar, ‘guard’ this celebration time. This is an important commitment. Treat it like a meeting with a treasured person because it is.

3 – Enjoy your celebration 

During your celebration time, have fun! Also be sure to:

• Take a few minutes to congratulate yourself for your accomplishment
• Notice how good it feels to acknowledge yourself!

That’s the formula to create more celebration around your accomplishments! This formula sounds simple, and it is. Yet for many of us (myself included), it isn’t always easy to do. It takes practice to get into the celebration mindset.

Be sure to stick with it to reap the benefits of celebrating your accomplishments. What kind of benefits? You may feel:

• invigorated
• happier and
• more motivated to complete other tasks. 

Congratulations on all you do every day! Have fun celebrating YOU!