The Winning Ticket: Celebrating Your Wins, However Big or Small
‘Wins’, no matter the size, need to be celebrated
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Who hasn’t fantasized about winning the jackpot of some mega-million lottery? Million dollar payouts aside, what if you were already living the dream (or at least parts of it) and didn’t realize it?I’m serious.This may seem a little surprising (I recently called myself out on it), but sometimes we are already living the version of life we had once wished for without even noticing it. Crazy right?I’m sure that you can agree that we all spend our fair share of time focusing on all the things that aren’t right, that need to be fixed, that we wish were different. We’re perpetually fixating on what needs to change. It doesn’t matter if it’s about our weight, our bank accounts, our careers, relationships, health, homes, etc. We can be insatiable in our angst. We’re certainly good ‘pointer-outers’ when it comes to what’s not working.What about what is?What about the stuff that’s right here, right now, that was once only a hope on the distant horizon? Do you remember that version of yourself or that dream, or are you speeding right on by, missing the entire thing?Think about it a minute. How many times did you lose a little weight only to say, I still have more to go — or you had a career success only to be skipping off to the next goal — or made some money, but got distracted with wanting more?
More, more, more can often bring less.
It’s perfectly fine to build a dream upon a dream — but don’t skip the in-between. Don’t skip the party and all the fanfare right now. It’s awesome to stop what you are doing, look around and pat yourself on the back.And if you’re anything like me, you’ve come a long way baby! So what, if there’s more to go — that keeps things fresh. It keeps you bright-eyed and excited about life, evolving into that best self of yours.Recently, when traveling to Portland, Oregon to conduct a Best Self Magazine photo shoot and interview I found myself working — lying in my plush bed in my hotel room, laptop propped up on my legs, staring out over the city, side-by-side with my partner-in-crime and all things life (who was doing the same with his computer).When we first got together 14 years ago, we had only dreamed of redesigning our lives — lives that were fraught with wounds and battle scars. We didn’t have it all mapped out or know exactly how we were going to make it happen, but we knew a few key things: We wanted to birth a creative baby together, we wanted to build something we were passionate about, we wanted to create something of meaning and impact, we wanted to be geographically independent (have laptop will travel) — oh, and we wanted to support ourselves financially and most importantly, show others how they could live their dreams too.
That’s a long-winded interpretation of our Best Self mantra — to live vibrantly, consciously, holistically and aligned in body, mind and soul.
Sounds good, right? Who wouldn’t want that? Well, as I’ve said many times before — being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It takes guts to create something out of nothing. It takes guts to hold onto a dream when you are wavering in self-doubt or fear. But we decided that not doing it was a fate far worse. So we kept on.And let’s be clear, the path was peppered with hiccups, roadblocks and challenges — but rarely is anything in life worth fighting for devoid of these things. As the years have passed, I realize that I’m getting much better at dealing with it all, because I’ve settled into a space of trust. I trust timing. I trust when things don’t work out. I trust that things are working on my behalf. Of course, that doesn’t mean I necessarily like it all, or that I don’t get impatient or stubborn at times — but I also call myself out on my resistance. I read the cues of my body much sooner than I once did. See, right there is another win.I promise you, you’re likely missing out on a bunch of your own celebrations. We tend to take that stuff for granted, shuffle on past it and forget the journey.So, lying there in bed, working, on a beautiful fall morning in a hotel room across the country — I allowed myself to take it all in. And as I smiled deeply, feeling it within — I acknowledged that, YES, I’m living my dream. This was on my wish list. It’s here. And I created it.
Acknowledging your wins is critical…it becomes the wind beneath your I-can-do-it wings.
It celebrates where you once were and where you’ve arrived at. It reminds you of what is possible. Surely there are times you can look back upon your life and perhaps not even recognize that version of yourself. It was all a part of the plan.Cut yourself some slack and crack out the party supplies, seriously! Celebrate the triumphs big and small, near and far. They are there awaiting your arrival. You are the life of your best self party. Isn’t it time you gave yourself a little more credit? That’s the winning ticket and payout, my friend. OK, fine. A mega-million winning lottery ticket prize might be the cherry on top. But what’s at the core of your journey? What can we dance about right now in this moment? Come on. I know you’ve got something. You’re a best selfer! *Note: By the time this post went to press, Kristen Noel did not win the lottery. However, she still feels she's got a winning life ticket, and you do too!
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As always, I love hearing from you and sharing in your experiences. Where are you bypassing your own wins? Have you missed a few beats in this arena? I think it’s time to get this party started. Will you share your experience in the comments below?