Women's Network February 2019 | Page 22

CE L E B R A T E Y O U! T here are so many opportunities to celebrate throughout the year, yet when was the last time you really celebrated YOU? Perhaps on your birthday, perhaps not. Sue Lester, Australia’s leading expert in optimizing unconscious blueprints, shares why celebrating YOU is essential for your ongoing success. To “celebrate” is “to praise, to express admiration and approval for someone”, according to the Collins Dictionary. Here are 5 opportunities to celebrate yourself you’ll want to invest in, and why. 1. Celebrate your birthday. Or your birthweek! Do whatever makes your heart sing. If big parties aren’t your thing, don’t be emotionally blackmailed into having one. Celebrate your way. If you don’t celebrate the anniversary of your own arrival into this world, what does that say to the world, and to yourself? Low self-esteem, regrets, pessimism, misery and low self-worth? If you don’t value yourself, and instead treat yourself as a has-been, then that’s how others will treat you too. You are blessed to be another year older, millions will never have that privilege. It’s not 22 Women’s Network Magazine too late to start creating the happy life your heart desires. If you need help to shift your mindset to see the possibilities then ask for help. 2. Celebrate your progress. Take time to reflect on the past year, and all your wins, no matter how small. Focussing on celebrating your own progress (rather than comparing yourself unfavourably to others) motivates you to continue, and those small wins will grow in size. Think of them as seeds you’re planting and caring for, so you can harvest later. If you struggle to find even a minuscule sign of progress, then work out what you’ve learnt from your struggles. Celebrate your new knowledge and commitment to learning from it. Celebrate your survival. “In a hurricane, standing still is progress.” If self-sabotage is your brake, then seek expert help to change those patterns. 3. Celebrate your identity. Who you are now could be very different from who you used to be. Specifically, how have you changed? In thought, values, confidence, skill, tolerance or belief? What do you love about yourself? Is it your quirky humour, your nurturing nature, your adventurous