When was the last time you celebrated something or someone?

Whether it was a friend’s birthday party, a family member’s graduation ceremony, or the wedding of a loved one, chances are, you felt a rush of excitement because you were celebrating that person for who they are and supporting them as they reached a milestone.

Just the other week, Holly and I got to celebrate Caleb’s (Holly’s oldest son) 6th birthday! We went to Burger Shack (by his request), since it just so happens to be his favorite restaurant.

We invited a few close friends from our team and celebrated the afternoon eating dinner, laughing, singing for Caleb, and watching as he blew out his candle and made a wish.

The excitement was infectious. We were all happy to be there, and most importantly, Caleb felt loved. He felt supported. He felt special.

Here’s a photo of myself, Caleb, and Emerson, from earlier that morning when the festivities began.

Celebrating people we love can really lift our spirits, can’t it?

Think back to the last time you celebrated someone. How exactly did you feel during those moments?

Once you’ve done that, I want you to take a moment and think about a time when people celebrated YOU!

Some of you are cringing reading this...

Some of us enjoy being celebrated and appreciated, but others of us struggle in this area. We don’t like to be in the spotlight. Quite frankly, we feel bashful at the thought of celebrating ourselves.

We think it’s selfish or unnecessary.

Why is that?

Why do we feel bashful celebrating who we are or what we’ve achieved?

Do you find yourself struggling with this? When was the last time YOU celebrated YOU?

I think back to Caleb’s 6th birthday. His joy and excitement emanated to all of us because he gracefully accepted being celebrated.

He didn’t shut us down or say, "It’s just another year…"

He celebrated with us.

It wasn’t just about us feeling the joy and love that came from celebrating him, but about him being able to experience those feelings for himself; those feelings of joy, love,  support, and celebration!

And that’s the way it should be.

So, why is it often so hard for us as adults to celebrate ourselves and our accomplishments?

Over time, we’ve been programmed to believe that it’s selfish and unnecessary. And many of us have this false perception that we aren’t even worth celebrating.

I’d encourage you to think about that for a moment, and if you ever feel that way, to simply challenge that belief.

Just because you have a thought, it doesn’t make it true.

And if you still find it difficult to celebrate yourself, ask others to celebrate with you!

The next time you reach a goal or have a birthday, invite people over or go out to your favorite restaurant and celebrate.

Sometimes we have to borrow others’ belief in us in order to see ourselves for who we really are.

Just be encouraged that you aren’t alone! We all struggle with this at some point or another.

I’ll end with this quote by Eric Hoffer that comes to mind:

"No matter what our achievements might be, we think well of ourselves only in rare moments. We need people to bear witness against our inner judge, who keeps book on our shortcomings and transgressions. We need people to convince us that we are not as bad as we think we are."