The Science of Celebration and you need to celebrate more

When’s the last time you celebrated? Yes, I know if you are in the states you are approaching the Thanksgiving Day celebration. But, does your family call it a celebration?

For me, this holiday kicks off the end of the year and it is often a time of celebration. I do a lot of reflecting at the end of the year, and planning.

This year, I volunteered to do a training about Celebration in December for NACWE (National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs.) No big deal, right? I mean, I celebrate. I know how to celebrate. I know how to tell others to celebrate. Easy Schmeezy.

Well, I don’t enter into presentations lightly, so I started doing some homework. Wow. It’s not so much that I learned how to celebrate. That was easy. But, I’ve learned about WHY we should celebrate.

Believe me, it’s not all about the warm fuzzies.

Celebration Changes Your Body

First of all, celebrating changes your body. It’s all about the magic chemical in your body called endorphins. Endorphins are important because they help you to withstand life’s pains and stresses. Celebrating releases endorphins into your brain.

Endorphins help to:

• Ease depression
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Boost your self-esteem
• Reduce weight
• Help reduce pain

Celebration Changes Your Mind

Celebrating also changes your mind. The best illustration I can think of is when training our dogs. Helping them to learn a new behavior by the positive reinforcement of treats was easy. Getting them to DO the training without treats has been a challenge.

Oh, they will a few times. But, once they know there’s not a biscuit in store, they lose interest in doing the action. Guess what. You’re the same as a puppy! =) Think about it.

What’s the use of all the hard work, if you don’t get a celebration at the end? No, it doesn’t have to be every time. Have you ever struggled, pushed through a project, over and over, rinse and repeat and never taken the time to celebrate? If you do it repeatedly, are on the road to less focus and decreased performance.

The Celebration Snowball

The next thing I learned about Celebration was that it has a snowball effect. When we take the time to celebrate our success and we include others in the celebration we create a contagious feeling of happy.

See, folks like to celebrate with you! Truthfully, I hadn’t thought about that concept until I read it. Then, I thought about my parents and how they follow my writing journey. My wins are their wins. They celebrate with me…from book drafts to finding illustrators and publishing.

But, here was the interesting thing I learned. People celebrate with you and me. They subconsciously learn to celebrate their victories and successes as well. There was more I learned about celebrating, but this one thing I do know…. I don’t celebrate enough. I mean, if I don’t start my celebration party..who is?

I’ll be celebrating a lot more in 2019. In fact, I’ve decided that it’s my word for the year. I think this is the earliest I’ve ever decided on my word! Here’s something I want to leave you with.

The Celebration Mindset

I want you to develop a success and celebrate mindset. Start setting goals, mini-goals, actions, and mini-actions. Then, celebrate when you reach and do each one!

Celebration isn’t extra. It’s not a bonus to this game of life. Celebrating is the FUEL you need!

The old saying is that ‘energy goes where energy flows.’

I want to start sending more energy and praise to my successes. I’m ready to celebrate the pants of my life =) And lest you think it’s braggadocios and not ‘biblical’..well, have I got a surprise for you…

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8

God wants us to think about (and celebrate) the excellent and praiseworthy things!

Thomas J. Peters said, “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” I’m going to be making a bold Vision/Harvest board for 2019!

My plan is to start celebrating more and encouraging my writing club to CELEBRATE their successes!  If you write and would like to join us, you can visit us at the Facebook group!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/WriteMoreWriteNow/