The Power of Pausing to Celebrate
Let’s celebrate!
No, seriously — I want to celebrate more. I want to honor the little things, the big milestones, and everything in between. Because here’s what I’ve noticed: as a culture, we’re not great at pausing to celebrate. Not really. Even when we do stop for a moment, we tend to move on way too fast.
Think about it. We graduate high school, and the very next question is, “So what’s next?” Four years later, we finish college and — again — the focus shifts immediately to, “Now what?” We get married, and suddenly everyone wants to know, “When are you having kids?”
We struggle to stay present in celebration. To savor it. To fully honor where we are without rushing off to the next checkbox on life’s endless to-do list.
But what if we did things differently?
What if we gave ourselves permission to linger in the joy, to stretch out the moment, to really feel our accomplishments — no matter their size? I don’t know about you, but I want more of that. I want to soak in the delicious feeling of celebration and let it wash over me for longer than just a fleeting second. I want to celebrate the little things along the way — not just the finish lines, but all the steps it took to get there.
Let’s celebrate the late nights studying, the moments we chose rest over burnout, the brave conversations we had, the new friends we made, the times we tried and failed — and tried again. Let’s create future generations who are resilient and reflective, grounded in confidence because they know their efforts are seen, acknowledged, and celebrated.
And no — this isn’t about “everyone gets a trophy.” I get it. That phrase gets thrown around a lot, and yes, sometimes recognition culture can go too far. But on the other hand, I believe we don’t stop often enough to acknowledge ourselves or each other. We don’t rest in what we’ve already done. We don’t breathe in the progress.
I’m lucky to have a circle of best friends who feel the same way. At times when we’ve realized we’re not celebrating life enough, we hold each other accountable. One of our favorite tools is what we call a “Luxury Alert.”
A luxury alert can be anything — and I mean anything — that brings us joy or signals a win. It could be as small as “I took a nap today,” “I had a deep conversation with a friend,” or “I got a pedicure.” Or it could be something more major like, “I signed a new client,” “I booked a trip,” or “I landed a speaking gig!” The point is: we name these moments. We share them. We honor them.
It’s about shifting our mindset from what we’re lacking to what we already have. Gratitude and celebration go hand in hand, and when we practice both consistently, something beautiful happens: they start to multiply. The more we recognize what’s good, the more good we begin to see. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This is our modern way of honoring life.
By celebrating our wins, big and small, and cheering each other on as we go.
I recently listened to a spiritual teacher who shared a message that perfectly echoed this theme. He said, “Everything is worth celebrating.” That stuck with me. Because whether we’re enjoying a luxurious, five-course meal or simply grateful to have a meal at all — it’s still something to honor.
No matter where you are in life, no matter what you have or don’t have — you still have something worth celebrating. Your breath. Your presence. Your persistence. Your growth. All of it.
We live in a fast-paced world. We are constantly being nudged toward the next milestone, the next goal, the next version of ourselves. And while ambition has its place, so does stillness. So does celebration.
Let’s make more space for it.
Let’s give ourselves the gift of presence — not just in hardship or in hustle, but in happiness, too. Let’s support each other in remembering to celebrate more.
I invite you, right now, to think about something you’ve done — anything at all — and relish in it. Draw out the joy. Bask in the gratitude. Let yourself feel it deeply, and for longer than you think is “appropriate.”
Because your life — in all its messy, magical, meaningful moments — is worth celebrating.
Every single part of it.
🎉 Try sending your own “luxury alert” to a friend today. Or write it down for yourself. Get in the habit of honoring your wins, even the ones no one else sees.
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I've created a Loving-Kindness Meditation that perfectly complements this celebration mindset. This gentle, guided practice helps you cultivate deeper joy, compassion, and inner peace by focusing on the love that's already present in your life.
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