Program Success 10 January 2023
The Importance of Celebrating
Many people underestimate the importance of celebrating . In fact , many of us don ’ t celebrate enough . How do you feel about celebrating ? If you ’ re anything like me and most of the people I know , you probably enjoy it . As much as I like to celebrate , at times I find it challenging too , especially these days .
Here are some of the reasons that can make celebrating difficult :
• We don ’ t have the time or money to celebrate right now because there ’ s work that needs to get done
• Things aren ’ t yet as good as they “ should ” be for us to stop and celebrate
• People will think we ’ re spoiled , naive , or arrogant if we celebrate too much
• With so much suffering in the world and people having a tough time these days , it ’ s not appropriate to celebrate
• We ’ ll celebrate , but not until everything turns out exactly as we want it to .
Can you relate to any of these ? If you can , you ’ re not alone . However , celebrating is really important for a number of reasons .
The Power and Importance of Celebrating
We ’ ve taken our girls , who are now teenagers , to Disneyland over the years … and we all love it there . One of the many magical aspects of the Disney parks is how they fully embrace the power of celebrating . Every day at Disney feels like your birthday , favorite holiday , and New Year ’ s Eve – all wrapped into one . They had a special parade down Main Street a few years ago called “ Celebrate You .”
I think one of the main reasons people go to Disney is that it ’ s an excuse to celebrate . And while they do a fantastic job at the Disney parks with the rides , the characters , the shows , the fireworks , and more – the real magic behind it all is the power of celebration .
Too often in life , we think we have to have a “ legitimate ” reason to celebrate – a birthday , winning an award , an anniversary , the completion of a project , the accomplishment of a goal , taking a vacation , or some other “ special occasion .” While all of these things can be fun to celebrate , we don ’ t have to wait for them to happen to feel justified in our celebration .
At Disney they celebrate just to celebrate – on Tuesday mornings and Thursday nights , on special occasions and holidays , and every single day throughout the year . What if we did more of this in our lives , especially when things get tough ?
While it may seem counter-intuitive , celebrating for no reason and counting our blessings when things are hard can transform our experience of being alive .
Treat Every Day Like a Good Day
I was in a cab in Houston many years ago , heading back to the airport after speaking at an event for Chevron . The cab driver and I got into an interesting conversation about life , family , and the state of our culture in America . The driver told me he was from Ethiopia originally but had been living in the United States for about twenty years .
I asked him , “ What ’ s your take on American culture , given that you didn ’ t grow up here ?” He paused for a long time , then asked , “ Can I be honest with you ?” I said , “ Of course .” He said , “ I think most people in this culture act like spoiled brats .”
“ Why do you say that ?” I asked , a bit surprised by his response . “ Mike ,” he said , “ I ’ m from Ethiopia … every day here is a good day . I don ’ t understand why people don ’ t walk around here with their hands in the air saying ‘ THANK YOU ’.” I appreciated his honest and poignant feedback . He offered such an important perspective .
Regardless of what ’ s going on in our lives and the world around us , we always have things to celebrate and be grateful for . While we all go through struggles , we also all go through triumphs in life . But we don ’ t have to wait until we close the deal , win the game , finish the project , get to retirement , fall in love , reach our goal , or whatever else it is we feel we need to accomplish in order to celebrate .
Sometimes the best thing for us to celebrate is the mere fact that we ’ ve made it to this point in life , especially if things have been challenging , which for many of us , they have been over the past few years . Celebrating is not only an after-the-fact phenomenon ; it ’ s a way of being and can become a way of life if we choose to live that way . Stop for a moment and think of all the things ( big and small ) that you can celebrate about your life right now .
As Oprah Winfrey says , “ The more you praise and celebrate your life , the more there is in life to celebrate .” Let ’ s look for things to be joyful about and grateful for … and let ’ s choose to celebrate ourselves , our lives , and those around us as much as we can .
Mike Robbins Author Jacksonville Florida The Importants of Celebratiing
www . mike-robbins . com / together