It's Time to Celebrate...YOU!

There are a million reasons to celebrate this season:  The birth of Christ.  Spending time with family.  Seeing friends you haven't seen in ages.  But don't forget to celebrate yourself!


There were several years where hearing that suggestion would have sent me down a steep guilt spiral - there was no way, I thought, to celebrate myself without being too selfish or ignoring someone else who deserved it more.  Throw in the self-doubt stairs - There is nothing about me that should be enjoyed...is there? - and the climb back to reality after the holidays seemed insurmountable.  Inevitably, I always tried to come out on top...I set New Year's Resolutions that were meant to pull me out of my funk and push me back on top. The goals I set, however, were unrealistic or impersonal, and I would end up plateauing at a lower level than where I originally started.


The change came a couple years back when someone convinced me that I deserved to take care of myself.  Since we can only be accountable for the decisions we make ourselves, we are not in control of the health of others (mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional).  Well that came as quite a shock and really freed up a load of my time.  Spending the majority of my time on thinking about others allowed for me to ignore myself.  I was thrilled to have my time back...until I realized I now had to fill that with something - and hiding from myself was no longer going to work.


I began to get to know myself again - what did I enjoy doing for me?  What was I only doing because I thought others would enjoy it or needed it?  How did I feel in different situations?  What did I want to change about myself and why?  To be perfectly honest, there were some parts of myself that I really did not like, and they were the first things I worked out of my system.  There were other characteristics I wanted to develop, and so I started down those paths.


Have you done a self-evaluation lately?  One where you are not searching for the things you've done wrong, but in which you are looking to see who you really are?  What did you find?  Were you able to really SEE yourself?


I hope you do.  For you are someone who deserves to be known.  Your friends know the truth - as does your family.  You are worth getting to know.  And when you take the time for yourself, you will have even more reason to celebrate.