I was once told that if you are sad and crabby everyone understands. However, if you are happy and positive people wonder what in the hell is wrong with you. Humans can’t seem to figure out why anyone in the world would be happy…except millionaires…we all think they are or should be happy all the time.

I’ve shared this statistic with you before, but just in case you missed it I will share it again. According to the National Science Foundation, an average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive thoughts.

We are drowning our spirit in negativity daily. We are on this Earth for a heartbeat and most of our time will be spent feeling disempowered and miserable about circumstances outside of our control. What if we rebelled against our inner critics and said, “Fuck it, there are things in my life I should celebrate!” How would our lives change?

Let’s dive into some ways to celebrate ourselves and our life journey. This doesn’t mean popping champaign bottles, unless the occasion calls for it, but rather it means making a bigger deal out of little things that often go unnoticed.

• Choose to celebrate your strengths and talents. Really reflect on all the positivity you bring into this world. It could be as simple as appreciating your sense of humor or your creativity. It could also include the accomplishments you are achieving at work or with your children.
• Choose to celebrate the people in your world such as family, friends, or the nice guy who sells you coffee every morning. Whoever it is that brings you a moment of joy, celebrate them for being a part of your journey.
• Choose to celebrate the things you seldom think of such as clean water, your physical abilities such as walking and talking, or a roof over your head. When we search for things, we often take for granted, to celebrate them it serves us with energy and optimism.
• Choose to celebrate your challenges. Every challenge brought your way can yield large payoffs if you roll up your sleeves and dig in the shit to find the lesson or the gift. Sidenote for my pessimists: There is ALWAYS a gift in our suffering. Find it!
• Choose to celebrate your obligations. Obligations come from having connections to people and ideas outside of yourself. Those roles are critical for others. When you get a chance to serve people in your home and outside of your home, you get an opportunity to be in good company with people like Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and J.C himself. Align your obligations with your values and let it feed your soul.
• Choose to celebrate you. You must find time for a million people in your world, but when do you find time to honor yourself? When do you actually thank yourself for all you do to support others? Celebrate the small victories such as your kid eating his vegetables or your husband washing the dishes without being asked. You are slaying it, but you are too busy to realize it! Look around, find the victories, and by damn it give yourself the celebration you deserve!

Cheers to all of you friends!  For all that you do for everyone in your world, I celebrate you!