The Power of Celebrations: Why They Matter More Than You Think

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." - Oprah Winfrey

Celebrations aren't just the cherry on top of life — they're a key ingredient for connection, resilience, and joy.

Think back to a fun celebration from your childhood. And then, use all five of your senses to remember how it sounded, smelled, tasted, felt, and what and who you saw around you. What made the celebration unique and memorable? 

I remember celebrating different holidays with family, attending church and singing hymns, eating a fancy dinner until you burst, playing games where someone inevitably cheated, and laughing until it hurt. I enjoyed feeling like a part of something and being surrounded by people I loved. 

Another fond memory is when my grandmother would take me to Dairy Queen for a banana split after each piano competition. She didn't care about my score or whether I won or not. She was merely proud of my hard work and the courage it took to perform. To be honest, I was proud of myself too.

Many people feel like their lives are all about working hard and caring for others. 

When we're looking after everyone else besides ourselves, every day can start to feel boring and monotonous. I've seen how celebrations — big and small — can transform relationships, workplaces, and even our mental health. 

We can get tunnel-visioned and find ourselves focusing on what's wrong with our lives and where we're not doing enough. 

Sprinkling generous amounts of celebrating can remind us that we're progressing and accomplishing, and we can have fun along the way! 

We don't have to only celebrate big wins either. We can celebrate little things too. Did you create a new habit today that you didn't have yesterday? Amazing! Do a happy dance!

"We're wired for connection. Celebrations are one way we honor and deepen those connections." Brené Brown

We can all agree that we could use more celebrations in our lives, so why don't we do it more often? 

There's a sense of vulnerability in celebrating and experiencing joy, which can hold us back from putting in the effort to make a big deal about our accomplishments and memorable times. There's an element of perfectionism in there, too. If we hold ourselves to an impossibly high standard, we may feel that we "should" already have this figured out, and celebrating "wins" would highlight areas where we were not previously perfect and fear being judged. 

Perhaps some people don't feel they deserve recognition, that their contributions aren't that important, or that, in comparison to others, they're not doing anything special. Joy is one of the most vulnerable emotions we can feel. Celebrating forces us to step into that vulnerability.

Another reason people are reluctant to celebrate is that we live in a hustle culture, and stopping to celebrate can feel self-indulgent or wasteful.

I was in the room with Brené Brown in San Antonio, Texas, in 2019 when she learned that her book Dare to Lead hit the #1 bestsellers list. She had just finished telling us that it was important to celebrate. Then she skimmed over the information and moved on to the rest of the presentation…one of my colleagues stood up and asked if it would be all right to celebrate this news, and we all stood up and applauded. Clearly, it's easier said than done, and celebrating is often added to the "frivolous" list along with play and rest. Clapping for Brené that day may have been slightly embarrassing for her, but we also got the opportunity to partake in the joy and we could all use more joy!

What we know now, however, is that honoring all our accomplishments is actually essential to wholehearted living.

The impact on our mental health is that celebrations trigger the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in our brain, which helps us to feel good. Human beings are dopamine junkies, and most people need to find more ways to get natural dopamine hits rather than turning to shopping, alcohol, or gaming (as a few examples) for dopamine. In addition, being celebrated and celebrating others helps to increase gratitude, and research has shown that grateful people are happier than the average person. Who doesn't want more happiness in their life?

When we celebrate, we say, "I see you. I value you." That creates trust and belonging. Loneliness is a worldwide epidemic that has a major impact on our physical and mental health. Celebrations bring people together, and the celebrant feels special. Having fun and experiencing joy together strengthens relationships. Even if you have a dance party to commemorate a win, reinforcing your self-worth and improving your self-esteem is always helpful in a world that can feel hard and overwhelming much of the time.

Celebrating isn't just about marking an achievement — it's about building a reserve of positive experiences to draw on when times are tough.

Our ability to reset after setbacks and be resilient is strengthened when we not only look for but make a big deal about things that we're proud of. It takes courage to lean into the joy and bring others along for the ride!

It's not always about the major milestones. What about the courage it took to start? Or the persistence to keep going? Recognizing incremental progress is vital for motivation and self-esteem. Did you know that I play the piano? My first degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and as much as I love it, practicing was not always easy. Since chocolate is my happy place, I would celebrate my efforts with a Hershey Kiss for every 10 minutes of practice. It helped when I was practicing 30-60 minutes a day! I also love to celebrate with my clients, and we often take time to reflect on progress because it can be hard to see it day to day.

Invite others into your joy — it deepens connection. 

Have you ever displayed a team "win board" at work? 

This is an opportunity to celebrate work and non-work wins. See if there's a way to create more rituals around celebrating in your personal life. We're used to observing birthdays and major holidays, but what about end-of-the-school-year celebrations? New job celebrations? Winter and Summer solstice celebrations? Getting a driver's license celebrations? Full moon parties?

What can you celebrate right now? 

It could be finishing your morning coffee while it's still hot or just showing up for yourself today. The willingness to celebrate is the willingness to embrace life fully — the messy, the imperfect, and the beautiful. Don't let busyness dictate your priorities. Make sure that joy, gratitude, and fun are high on the list. You're worth celebrating!