Celebrating Our Successes

Last week after I gave my second workshop on meditation, I was aware after I finished giving it that I should be very proud of myself, and I was, until I quickly moved on to what needed to be done next... How many of us dwell on our failures without taking proper time to celebrate our successes? Last week, I had much to celebrate; I was less nervous than when I gave the first workshop, those who attended seemed to really enjoy it, I felt like my authentic self, and the workshop seemed to really flow... But, rather than taking time to bask in my success and celebrate myself a little, I ran out the door to run errands, and began planning the workshop for the coming week. In neglecting to take time to rejoice a bit, we may very well end up working ourselves to the bone, seeking approval from others to feel good about ourselves (of course we all want to be loved by others, but I'm talking about not giving ourselves the proper love and praise we deserve, so much so that we're practically begging for it from others), and we miss the fun of celebrating a job well done. And celebrating may just mean sitting for a few minutes with how good it feels to have cultivated a new quality of being (such as patience with our children that afternoon), or to have accomplished something new or difficult, (a meditation practice, new skill, or professional task), or celebration may mean sharing the success with a friend or family member, taking ourselves out for a special treat, ordering take-out, or watching a movie just because. Whatever it is, it is so good to celebrate not only because it feels good to do so, but also because it can counteract all the focus on our “failures.” So, I encourage you all to take some time to celebrate yourself in some way this week because it feels good and because you deserve it!