Why you need to celebrate yourself. I’m looking at celebrating yourself as the next level of self-care. While I think that taking time to meditate, take a walk or just doing something for yourself is very important, I think that celebrating yourself might be an even bigger deal.

I know that I’ve gone for a run or bought myself a new lipstick and while it did make me feel good for a second, it didn’t last that long. This self-care business is great, but it’s something that you have to keep remembering to do.

I have a group of bloggers that I work with and when we start our check ins we spend a few minutes talking about our wins. It’s quite often that I get on the call feeling like nothing much has changed, but almost always as I start to itemize the good things that have happened, I realize that I’m accomplishing a lot more than I thought. This leads to a fairly long lasting high that energizes me and keeps me moving forward.

WHY YOU NEED TO CELEBRATE YOURSELF

YOU WILL APPRECIATE YOUR JOURNEY

We sometimes forget to enjoy the path that we are currently on. Sure, the big achievements are worth a lot, but so are the small things that make up life.

I have a habit of (weather permitting) stepping out onto my balcony every morning and taking in the view. Here’s the thing, I admittedly don’t love the city I live in right now, but the vastness of my view and the openness of my apartment is something I can stop to appreciate. I know that I won’t be able to live in a similar condo if I was in a big city. I’m always looking for the positive and trying to appreciate it.

Make a point of taking the time to stop and enjoy random moments in your day because often times your path is more important than the results.

YOU WILL BE MORE GRATEFUL

It’s very easy to forget all the good things and to focus only on the annoyances. Sure, we are all striving to to better, but when you take the time to be appreciative of what you have, it will make life that much sweeter. Not only that, but when we regularly take the time to focus on the good, the bad won’t seem so overwhelming.

This can be hard to do but keeping a gratitude journal is a great way to get started, as is taking a moment to celebrate your life every morning before you get out of bed.

YOUR CONFIDENCE WILL GROW

Confidence is one of those things that, for many of us, constantly needs to be fostered. I’m always in awe of those people who are self-assured and never waiver. I do try to fake it as much as possible but there are definitely times when I’m filled with doubt and especially when that impostor syndrome kicks in.

By celebrating your accomplishments, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, and your life, no matter how stressed you might be feeling, you’ll find your confidence increasing.
Your accomplishments are yours, you made them happen and when you recognize that you will become unstoppable.

YOU WILL MAKE THE RULES

It’s easy to let others decide our fate, without even knowing we are doing it. When my Instagram numbers drop or when my book sales (FITWISE: Straight Talk About Being Fit & Healthy yes this is my shameless plug) aren’t where I want them to be, I get depressed. That’s when I realize that I’m letting others decide how I should be feeling. After all I wrote a book which I know is good and I’ve built up a great platform and met a ton of wonderful people. Of course external approval is important but so are you and you should be in charge of how you are feeling.

While you are practicing self-care and learning to focus on yourself, don’t forget to celebrate who you are, where you are and where you are going in life.