9 Fun Ways To Celebrate Yourself & Why It Matters
You’ve reached a milestone, checked off that big item from your to-do list, or worked hard to complete that big project – but did you also allocate time to celebrate yourself?
Let’s face it – we live in a super fast-paced world and we put a ton of pressure on ourselves – to be better, to do more, and to keep going. But, we need to remember to pause and take the time to appreciate and celebrate our accomplishments.
Often when we complete a goal, but quickly think about the next thing we need to do. We don’t stop to give ourselves a pat on the back and this is where celebrating yourself is so important.
Celebrate yourself meaning
What exactly does celebrating yourself even mean? To celebrate yourself means to give yourself praise and honour your hard work and accomplishments – and this begins with first acknowledging what you’ve achieved.
Know this: It’s also important to celebrate your journey – even if you don’t reach a specific milestone. There is true power in the process.
You can celebrate:
- Your strength and resilience to move forward
- A shift in your mindset toward the positive
- Little wins you do every day
- Your commitment to loving yourself more
Why Celebrate Yourself?
When was the last time you celebrated yourself?
To celebrate yourself is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
In fact, Harvard Business Review reveals that… “Celebrating small wins stimulates dopamine release in the brain, a feel-good chemical that reinforces the learning experience and strengthens our sense of connection…”
There are a lot of powerful reasons to celebrate yourself:
- Giving yourself a sense of satisfaction that a job is well done – a pat on the back
- Your confidence raises when you can set your mind to something and follow through
- Helps you be grateful for what you have today – having an attitude of gratitude
- It creates positive energy in your life
- Demonstrates that we can do hard things
- Provides inspiration to set more goals for our future self
- Celebrating yourself can help you get through a hard time
“When nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself. When nobody else compliments you, then compliment yourself. It’s not up to other people to keep you encouraged. It’s up to you. Encouragement should come from the inside.”
Joel Osteen
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9 Fun Ways To Celebrate Yourself
Regardless of your situation, there are ways you can celebrate yourself – big and small!
1. Go On A Trip
This could be a day trip, a weekend getaway, or a vacation. The key to celebrating with a trip is to go somewhere outside of your day-to-day and do something you love.
Whether it’s going to wine country for a couple of days, hitting nearby hiking trails as a day trip, or taking that big vacation you’ve been wanting forever, plan something and make it happen.
We really need these moments to get out of our regular day-to-day existence. By taking that trip you can let go of stress and take the time to enjoy – and truly celebrate.
2. Have A Dinner Party
Invite your friends and/or family over for dinner to celebrate yourself! Don’t be shy – the people who love you will also enjoy celebrating what you’ve achieved.
Don’t forget to make a toast and get a little personal if that feels good.
3. Treat Yourself To Something BIG
To help you achieve a goal and to keep you motivated, you’ve promised yourself a reward – something extra special.
Here are some examples of big things you can do to celebrate yourself:
- Go to a luxurious spa for the day
- Buy that cookware set you’ve been wanting forever
- Sign up for a course
- Buy a new capsule wardrobe
- Quit your job
- Buy a new car
- Book a vacation
- Renovate your house
The list goes on.
We all have different things we want to do, so think about yours – and if you can financially afford the BIG thing yet, celebrate with something smaller that’s related.
Here’s what I mean…
- Going to a luxurious spa for the day – instead, get a massage and have bubble baths all weekend long!
- Buying that cookware set you’ve been wanting forever – buy a new pot
- Signing up for a course – find a free version of the course to whet your appetite
- Buying a new capsule wardrobe – buy a new outfit that can be worn in different ways
- Quitting your job – start an online side job (that will allow you to leave your job in the future)
- Buying a new car – get your current car washed and detailed
- Booking a vacation – create a vision board and start a vacation savings account
- Renovating your house – paint a room
4. Buy A Small Gift For Yourself
Celebrating with an affordable gift can feel really good too. A great way to do this is to treat yourself to something you wouldn’t typically buy.
Here are some small things you can get that will still put a spring in your step and allow you to celebrate your accomplishments:
- Flowers
- Scented candle
- Order your favorite food
- New journal
- Makeup
- Fancy ingredients
- Get your favorite ice cream
You can also pay it forward to celebrate by buying someone a cup of coffee.
5. Take A Day Off
Enjoy your own company by taking a day off just for you. You can think of this as a mental health day or self-care day.
Fill this day with what you need right now… relaxation, reading your favorite book, listening to music, going to your favorite restaurant, or going for a long walk.
Whatever it is you need on this day off – do that. You’d be amazed at how much you can treat yourself in a single day, with everything that feels great.
6. Share With Others
Above we talked about having a dinner party to celebrate yourself, but you can share with others in many others ways too.
Here are some ideas:
- Send a group text
- Call your friends and family – especially the ones that are great at cheering you on
- Share on social media
- Tell a close colleague
7. Accept Compliments
Sharing with others is great and the best thing to do when sharing is to accept the compliments you receive.
No more “ah, it’s no big deal” and more of “thanks, I worked really hard for this”.
Learning to accept compliments can be hard, especially for women. We tend to downplay what we achieve, but instead, let’s truly celebrate by being thankful for the compliments we receive.
8. Pause & Reflect
Spend some time reflecting on what you’ve accomplished.
You can ask yourself some questions to help with this self-reflection:
- What little actions did you take to create this win?
- What was the most difficult thing about reaching this milestone?
- Did you learn anything about experiencing this difficulty?
- How did you unlock your hidden potential?
- What is your inner voice saying to you about this accomplishment?
- How will you enjoy this win?
Related: 60 Self-Reflection Questions & Journal Prompts
9. Write an accomplishments list
Sometimes celebrating yourself is about doing simple little things. This is where creating an accomplishments list comes in – and trust me, these are WAY better than any to-do list!
An accomplishments list is as it sounds – a list of all your wins, no matter how big or small.
Create a list of your own accomplishments today and add to the list over time.
When you do this, you can not only celebrate your current win but also look back on past successes. This feels great and is a little thing anyone can do.
The Best Occasions To Celebrate Yourself
We of course think of celebrating ourselves on typical special occasions, but there are many more opportunities to celebrate how awesome you are!
Here are some of the best occasions to celebrate yourself:
- Graduation
- Achieving a big goal
- Job promotions
- Reaching a financial milestone
- An anniversary – wedding, career, something you’ve quit
- Buying a house
- Completing a big project
- Starting your own business
- A new job
- An excellent report card or annual review
- Celebrate bringing the people you love together – just because
Think of the beautiful moments you’ve experienced that are worth celebrating.
Final thoughts
I think it’s safe to say that we human beings aren’t the best at celebrating our wins. However, if we plan and set our mind to celebrating it can become more of a norm and over time we can make this a mental habit.
Who doesn’t love a little pat on the back and inspiration to keep up the good work?
When you celebrate yourself, you’re giving yourself permission to live a more fulfilled life that you are proud of creating.
Life is for living so celebrate who you are and have a good time doing it!
The best way I like to celebrate myself is by sharing with my friends and family – how about you?
Do you have a favorite way to celebrate yourself?
How good are you at celebrating yourself and will you begin to celebrate yourself more?
Share in the comments below + share one thing you’ve accomplished lately that you’re proud of so I can celebrate alongside you! xo
