Can you believe it?!? This is the 50th edition of my monthly newsletter! Whether you have been around since the beginning or this is your very first edition... THANK YOU!! I sincerely appreciate your time and I hope that I can continue to add value to your life.
As I was thinking about what to write this month, I thought about celebrating this milestone. Then, I thought about the habit of celebrating in general. Have you developed this habit?
Celebration and Joy
Have you ever watched children playing? Whether it's through competitive sports or just individually imagining and experimenting, it's really amazing to see the world through the eyes of a child. They celebrate the little things.
Just this past week I was able to witness a little girl in the airport pulling her Dora The Explorer roller bag to the gate. She arrived and said to her mom, "Mom, I did it!! I carried my bag the WHOLE way!" I also watched two little boys playing with a new truck. As one of the boys made the truck's siren go off, the other one said, "You did it!! You did it!!" My favorite occurred in San Francisco's airport where I witnessed a little girl about 3 years old come running out of the restroom releasing her mom's hand and sprinting up to her dad in his nice suit and tie yelling, "Daddy, Daddy!! I pooped! " Oh, the joys of a nice bowel movement!
As kids, we celebrate any and almost every accomplishment. Then at some point in our lives, when we become "big" girls and boys and it's no longer "cool" to celebrate our successes we stop. Why is that? Why do we start to call those people that celebrate "big headed" or "self-centered" or "show offs" or "immature"? Why does celebrating take on a negative connotation?
Does another person's success somehow diminish our own? Is there a limited quantity of celebration in the world? Does their celebration somehow mean you don't get your piece of the celebration pie?
Have you ever wondered why "excessive celebration" is a penalty in the NFL and NCAA Football but you can rip off your shirt, slide across the field, and have your team pile up on you for scoring a goal in soccer? Why does it matter if they are "showing off"?
Celebration and Your Brain
Celebration is great for your brain.
Celebration has also been shown to lead to increased trust, communication, and risk-taking. Celebrating creates a atmosphere of optimism and hope. It focuses the brain on creating instead of avoiding.
Celebration releases chemicals called neurotransmitters at the synapses in your brain and these intensify motivation to act for more solutions and celebrations.
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