When Do You Celebrate You?

With all the talk and to-do lists around celebrations and gifts this holiday season … it really got me thinking.

Sooooo … when do you celebrate YOU?

Or do you?

If you are anything like me, you probably don’t even notice all that you are … never mind celebrate it.

For me, it is so easy to see the wonderfulness of others … and celebrate their goodness and all the gifts they bring to the world.

I am the first one to …

Recognize someone’s achievements

Thank them profusely for the kindness and support they give.

Cheer them on.

Carry them when they can’t.

Celebrate the amazing person they are … inside and out.

For me, recognizing and celebrating others is like breathing.

Maybe it’s because I like to celebrate (which I do) or maybe it’s also a way of taking any type of focus or attention away from me because I am so uncomfortable getting compliments of any kind. Most often I can’t even look the person giving the compliments in the eye … never mind let them land.

So why is it so hard to recognize and celebrate ourselves?

I’ll tell you why … because we spend too much time thinking about all that we are NOT rather than all that we ARE.

We are not 15 pounds lighter.

We are not worthy.

We are not enough.

We can’t ‘do it all’ and be everything to everyone all the time.

We are not perfect.

I am not saying that we shouldn’t continue to celebrate others, but I think our Moms would want us to also celebrate ourselves too.

We deserve to be recognized.

We deserve to be thanked and to feel someone’s gratitude.

We deserve to be cheered on.

We deserve to be carried.

We deserved to be supported and loved.

We are so much more than enough.

As we approach the New Year, what if we took some time to think about one or two gifts that we bring to the lives of others … perhaps it’s our smile … or the way we reach out to help … or the way we love hard and lead with our hearts … or the way we offer to help … or the way we listen (really listen) when others need support and comfort … or the way we give without the thought of receiving. I can pretty much guarantee that we all have some (or probably many) of these qualities … and we don’t even notice them.

So the next time someone says ‘thank you’ for being a wonderful friend or sister or Mom … or the next time someone appreciates all the goodness and wonderfulness of YOU … instead of taking the focus away from you … why not take a second or two and let it land.

No, like REALLY land.

We each have so many beautiful and amazing gifts …it’s well past time we celebrate them.

So much love,

Jenn