A Growth Mindset and Celebrating Your Growth
We’ve talked a bit about a growth mindset before on the blog. While we won’t go over all the ins and outs of developing a growth mindset since we’ve done that already, this week we’re going to take it a step further and talk about one important part of growth and transformation: celebrating our growth.
When we think about celebration, we usually think about big life events, like anniversaries, new jobs, birthdays, weddings, and so on. However, celebration doesn’t need to be reduced to just ‘big deal’ events and occasions – we can celebrate anything we want. In fact, valuing celebration can help bring your hard work into focus and make you feel more confident about your ability to handle what life throws your way in the future.
Celebrating Growth Doesn’t Mean You’ve Reached the End
Celebrating growth doesn’t mean that we’ve reached the end of that growth. It just means that we take the time to acknowledge everything that has gone into our growth so far and appreciate how growth has improved our lives. Celebrating your growth can look like throwing a big party and going wild, sure, but it can also be more low key – taking yourself out for a coffee or a treat, buying something off of your wishlist, journaling on your progress, and being a little kinder to yourself in general.
Ask yourself “When was the last time I really celebrated my progress? What does celebration look like for me personally?”
When we celebrate our growth, it gives us a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come. It can be eye-opening to actually consider the changes you’ve made all at once. It can give you a bird’s eye view of where you’ve been, as well as where you are heading. Taking the time to notice what is going well in your life can really drive home how many things there are in life to celebrate. Instead of keeping our heads down and working nonstop toward our goals, we can appreciate the little joys that are a part of the journey.
Another aspect of celebrating our growth is realizing that progress never really ends. You’ve probably experienced this: you set a goal, reach it, and then set another. Our goals are constantly evolving, so waiting until we’ve achieved them all to celebrate means we might never get a chance. When you get caught up in the hustle to move toward your next goal, give yourself permission to celebrate the growth you’ve already achieved.
Remember to value your progress, instead of chasing perfection.
It makes sense that it’s uncommon for people to celebrate their growth. We live in a culture that values work and productivity over pretty much everything else, so the idea of taking time away from the grind to celebrate yourself might seem strange at first. However, it will get easier with practice! When you make it a habit to celebrate how far you’ve come, you teach yourself, whether you realize it or not, that you are worthy of celebration. You deserve to feel good about how far you have come!
So how can you start to celebrate your growth?
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Notice your growth:
The first step to celebrating your growth is to acknowledge it. Think back to where you were when you started. Is it different from where you are now? If you need help coming up with ways you’ve grown, start carrying a journal or make a note in your phone; then when you think of something to add to the list you can do so on the fly.
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Don’t minimize your hard work
It may feel weird to celebrate yourself for just living your life. But you work hard every day, and you deserve to pat yourself on the back for that. Being a human being is hard enough, you don’t need to make it even harder on yourself by minimizing the work you’ve done.
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Share your success with others
Remember to share your celebration with the people in your life who love and support you. If you’re having trouble getting into a mindset of celebration, try telling your best friend about it. Their excitement and celebration may help you tune in to your own.
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Express gratitude
Research has shown that expressing gratitude can be a powerful way to improve our relationships with others and to make ourselves happier in general. Keep a running list of things you’re grateful for. This can be a great way to bring a little celebration to every single day. Jot down a few things that you are thankful for (people, actions, things, pets, ideas, etc.) and refer back to the list when you’re having a hard time remembering how many good things you have in your life.
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself.” – Walt Whitman
