Are we there yet?.....  Are we there yet?  How much longer?  If you have been on a road trip with kids maybe you have heard this question asked multiple times.   So many times we do the same thing in our life- we forget that life is not a destination- rather it is a journey.  And if we are always waiting to "get there"  we are missing some beautiful things life has for us.  Part of enjoying the journey is remembering to celebrate our successes along the way.  

For two months now I have been training for a 5k. Running a race is something I have done in the past and I enjoyed it, however, this training has been very different for me.  After the birth of my last son I was told that it was possible I would need a heart transplant- that some women after giving birth to so many children, their hearts just give out. My heart was very tired, I think sometimes it still is.   This was a very scary, and uncertain time for me.  All of a sudden things that had been easy, second nature, like walking,  or carrying things became extremely difficult an took all of my energy.  Miracles happened and I did not need this procedure, however, it seemed like all of the once easy things took me longer to do.  Working out became a walk around the block- very slowly.  Now, nearly 6 years later it still feels like I need to work harder to do things that once came so easily.  I am now training for my first race since that time, and every time I finish one of the workouts my app tells me the distance I went and how good I did, and every time it shows me a turtle- telling me that my speed is still very slow :)   I am okay with that.  I am quicker than I was two months ago, I am stronger than I was.  I am able to run 25 minutes straight without stopping, whereas when I first started running, 30 seconds was very difficult.  I know that I have a long way to go to be where I hope to be, but I celebrate every time I am able to do my run.  I am celebrating all the little accomplishments!  I may come in very last but I am excited that I am running the race. 

We are good to celebrate events in our life like a wedding, a graduation, a birthday, a promotion etc.  If we are waiting for only those times in our life to celebrate, then we are letting a lot of happiness, and joy pass us by.  It seems to me that there is a common feeling among the humans on this planet- that they are not good enough.  I wonder if there is some correlation between the common feelings that people are experiencing and the lack of celebrating their daily success.  Are people so focused on the final destination, or a big goal that they don't realize that to get there took a lot of smaller accomplishments?  Do they not see the good that they are doing every day? 

It stands to reason that if at the end of the day all you can think about are the things that you didn't get done, the things you were supposed to do and you forgot,  after a few days of this repeated thought process you would not think of yourself very favorably.  What if we changed our thinking at the end of each day?  What if instead of the final destination only-  we focused on all the small acts we did do, on the chances we did take, on the accomplishments that happened no matter how big or small.  I did a load of laundry!  I took my daughter and her friend to softball practice!  I made dinner today!  I text a friend who needed me.  What if instead of programming our mind to focus on all that we did not do- we trained our mind to focus on all that we did do?  How would your world change?  I believe that if we can accept each day for what it is and accept the contributions that we made that day for what they were, we would find that we are living an extraordinary life.  And at the end of our day, we will find joy in that day.  

3 Benefits of Celebrating our Successes

1. Celebrating success along the way will increase our potential to do good in our sphere of influence.  If we continually see the good we do, we will naturally see the good that those around us are doing.  If we only see our lack of success it will be much easier to see where others lack, where they need to do better.  What are you focused on?  Wouldn't it be great if we were laser focused on the good that others did- if we focused on the accomplishments of our children rather than the corrections that need to be made.
2. Celebrating success increases the endorphins that are released into your body.  When you don't take the time to celebrate, you rob yourself of the very feeling that reinforces your success.  Celebrating your wins not only feels great physically, but it reinforces the behavior you want to show up when you face a new challenge or opportunity. 
3. Celebrating will inspire you to strive for more.  When you can see that you are doing good you want to do more, and you believe that it is possible.

Remember These Tips

• Celebrate small successes- this gives you the momentum to keep going
• Let others celebrate with you- this can be contagious and others will begin to see that they are also succeeding
• Look at where you started
• Count your blessings along the way- acknowledge those who have helped you on your journey
• Celebrate failures as well as successes.  We often learn as much or even more from the things that didn't work, as we do the things that did work. 
• Comparison is the thief of joy!  Your journey is completely different than anyone else's.  They have their journey, and you have yours.  Live your best life and let them live theirs.
• Be patient when things aren't going as planned.          

Quit asking if you are there yet and enjoy the journey.  Celebrate your successes along the trip to your final destination.  This life is amazing!