OK, so you might be thinking to yourself – Beth, we just wrapped up the holiday season full of celebrations, and you want us to celebrate AGAIN?
Yup, I do. Celebrating is a lost art form as far as I’m concerned, and to be quite honest I’ve personally had to train myself to do it more often to acknowledge not only the big things but also the little things too! Yes, I’m a “celebrator-in-training” just like many of you might be.
As I’ve found over the last few years (and more specifically over the last 6 months if I’m being honest), like attracts like which means success attracts more success and celebration attracts more celebration. In other words, the more you acknowledge something great, the more the Universe will say “oh, he/she gets excited about that – we like excitement – let’s give him/her more of that!” (Yes, I’m going a bit spiritual here with some “Law of Attraction”…so bear with me if that’s not usually your “thing,” ok?) Celebrating raises the positive vibrations surrounding you and encourages more of the same positive results to be delivered to you.
As an example in my own life (since I always find it helpful if someone shows me how to do something new that I’m trying to learn), I’m thrilled that January 2014 was the best month EVER in my business and that I found 6 brand new and amazing clients to work with in the months to come! I started my celebration this past weekend with some much needed “down time” to relax and really let everything that had happened this month sink in and then I celebrated with friends and family (see the pic of me having a celebratory cocktail with a good colleague last week in the picture!). I also played hooky earlier this week to sneak off and see a movie by myself during a snowy day when I didn’t feel like working. And this is just the beginning of my celebrations – I really want to anchor what this last month felt like, because I want more of that type of amazingness (so that’s probably not a word but who cares, I’m excited!)!
As it relates specifically to your finances, sometimes the road to financial freedom and financial independence can feel long. Truth be told, that road is paved with small steps taken over time to build up your financial skill set and financial health – proactive money management skills and a well thought out financial plan doesn’t just come together overnight! On your lengthy financial journey, there are likely some things that you can celebrate and acknowledge for yourself, so let me get you started with a few ideas:
- You opened your latest statements for the first time in a long time (bank, credit card, etc.);
- You reconciled your checking account;
- You listed out all of the debt that you owe with corresponding details (interest rate, due date, min. payment);
- You put together a Net Worth Summary (Assets – Liabilities);
- You looked at one month’s worth of cash flow (income and expenses) to get a better understanding of how you use your money;
- You got a raise at work;
- You started a savings account;
- You saved up for something in advance and paid for it outright;
- You paid down (or paid off) a piece of debt;
- You had a money conversation with someone important to you (spouse, friend, co-worker, etc.);
- You reached out to a financial professional for help with something (taxes, investments, insurance, etc.).
The ideas above may not feel like much (and clearly there are many more examples that I could include), however I’d like to encourage you to see each step on your journey to financial freedom as something worth celebrating. And, of course, I believe in celebrating in moderation or within appropriate parameters given your individual circumstances! Sometimes the best celebrations don’t need to cost much (like the movie I snuck off to see) or they don’t cost anything (like the dream car I’m going to go and test drive this weekend just because I can…it’s free, at least for now!).
And lastly, when you’re wanting to truly acknowledge and anchor successes in your life (in any area, really), I’m also a big fan of having a “success journal.” What is that, you ask? It’s a chance for you to write down each of the successes (big and small) that you have along the way because sometimes we forget our successes and we need to go back and read them to be reminded of the good that we’ve done! I keep a success journal by my bedside and each night before I go to sleep I list my top 5 successes of that day (financial and other).
So what have you done recently to improve your financial health that you would like to celebrate? And if you haven’t done anything lately, is there something small that you can do to get yourself started and in action?
Start small, take action, celebrate and document your success along the way…and then rinse and repeat!
