We’re two weeks in to the new year, and I think I’ve finally settled on my one word goal. It took a lot of thought and contemplation, but I’ve decided that I want this year to be one of…
CELEBRATION
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to feel down on yourself? I sure have.
Whether the misstep is big or small, punishing myself seems to come naturally. But when it comes to feeling proud of accomplishing something, it is so easy to let the moment slip through my fingertips.
My days as a new mom can feel repetitive and mundane. We follow a pretty predictable schedule of eating, playing and napping. Some days, though, I’m thrown for a loop and it can be downright messy, frustrating, and exhausting. Not much that you would want to throw a big party over.
But that’s why I think this celebration goal is so important for me.
A couple weeks back, I shared on my Instagram stories that I wanted to prioritize my mental health this year.
So how does that fit in with my overall goal of celebration? Well, that’s easy. There’s actually mental health science behind this whole idea of celebrating the small stuff.
Studies have shown that capturing small wins every day enhances motivation. Simply recording progress in some way helps boost self-confidence and can be put to use toward future successes.
When you accomplish something, it activates the reward center of your brain, and the neurochemical dopamine is released. This allows you to feel a sense of pride and energizes you with feel-good emotions. Sooooo… when you feel rewarded, you want to achieve even more!
If taking a few moments each day to acknowledge a success or two can motivate me towards greater goals AND help to create more positive thought patterns, how could I not give it a try?
It’s probably going to feel a bit strange, maybe even forced and insincere at first, but everything becomes more natural with practice.
The question is… how do I start thinking small?
I needed some help to get me started, so I did some research, and here’s what I found…
- Brewing fresh coffee in the morning.
- Making time for a book you’ve been dying to read.
- Finding an opportunity to be creative.
- Having friends who encourage you.
- Making someone laugh.
- Getting 10 minutes of exercise.
- Watching your child play.
- Climbing into a cozy bed at night.
- Enjoying a hot shower.
- Having a good hair day.
- Receiving a compliment from a stranger.
- Cleaning one area of your house.
- Enjoying a favourite snack or beverage.
- Getting an extra half hour of sleep.
- Eating a proper, home-cooked meal.
- Learning something new.
- Leaving the house on time.
- Crossing something off your to-do list.
- Finding five minutes of quiet time.
- Surviving another day.
Seems simple enough, right?
But what happens on those overwhelming days, when your expectations don’t hold up to your reality? When nothing seems to be going right?
On particularly tough days growing up, my mom always told me to take it one half hour at a time. Rather than facing the day as a whole, I would break it down into more manageable pieces. It’s sometimes easier said than done, but it definitely helped me to step back and take a quick breather.
So, when it comes to a list of things you feel you MUST do to be accomplished, and you’re having trouble getting started…
Ask yourself this:
Will it take less than 2 minutes? Check it off now.
I think I’m the queen of putting off the quick tasks, especially the ones I don’t like. Raise your hand if you also hate making phone calls!? LOL.
It’s so easy to put off the “easy” things, but why not do them now and get those positive reward juices flowing? Wouldn’t that make the rest of the checklist easier to manage?
Another part of my Instagram vision for 2020 was to love others better.
How does this fit in with my celebration focus? Again, it’s pretty simple.
I’ve gotten really good at celebrating the tiny victories when it comes to my baby. She can smile? AMAZING! She grabbed her toes? WOW! She can scooch toward her toys now?! STOP GROWING UP!
Maybe it’s a little extreme, but I want to celebrate my friends and family this same way.
In this age of social media, it’s the big things that get the most attention. Graduations, engagements, weddings… a new job, buying a house, having a baby… And while celebrating these things isn’t wrong, I think it makes people think that their everyday life is not worth sharing.
So this year, I want to spend more time recognizing and encouraging others in their successes. Maybe they finally had that scary conversation with their boss, maybe they nailed a new recipe, maybe they surprised their spouse and booked a weekend away. Or maybe they simply got out of bed and brushed their teeth that day. All of these things are worth celebrating, too!
The point is, your idea of success will be different from mine, but everyone deserves some celebration along the way.
So, when I say that my focus for the year is CELEBRATION, I don’t mean throwing a bunch of wild parties (though I’m sure there will be a few). I just want to spend more time focusing on the small wins, and giving myself more grace in the missteps.
Do you have a focus word for the year? I’d love to hear it!