Self Celebration: a Facet of Gratitude

Self celebration is part of gratitude.  Celebrating a goal achieved, a job well done, an event are ways of remembrance, honor, and recognition.  All of which are part of gratitude.  Gratitude is necessary to manifest and be happy with life.  Reading Feeling Great by David Burns, a huge part of feeling great is recognition of the good in your life - aka gratitude.

I am working on this myself -  how to celebrate my successes.  All summer I have been on a personal sugar free crusade.  Sugar is one of the most damaging and aging substances you can eat.  My summer goal was to get my A1C below 5.  I use a service called Inside Tracker to test my blood every three months for various markers of health and longevity.  Yesterday, I got the results - right under 5!  

Goal accomplished.  But how to celebrate or show gratitude?  How to cement the win with thanksgiving to give momentum to the other goals and to just be joyful?  One way is sharing the news with others - it is possible to directly affect your A1C with food.  Plant based (not plant exclusive), low sugar, smart carb choices lead to lower numbers.  Sharing shows gratitude and joy.  I love hearing what others have done and it spurs me on while making me smile.

Besides sharing, you can use your wins as the foundation for more joy.  Doing my first 5K this summer is the foundation for my thrice weekly runs.  Each time I head out I say a little thank you to my body for what it can do.

Third way to celebrate is with momentos.  I have a special mug to remind me of my year devoted to exploring fashion. Sometimes I change my screensaver to a picture that captures a particular goal met.  

Celebration, while hard to remember to pause and do, is a type of gratitude.  Gratitude is the basis of joy and continued growth - and is thereby important to cultivate.  How can you celebrate yourself today?

​Julia xo

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