time to shine: step 4
4. celebrate each baby step!
When you’ve done your due diligence with the first three steps to reclaiming empowerment in life, the final one is without a doubt the most underrated: celebrating! As much stress and anxiety as you suffer in self-doubt and anticipation of doing something unknown, new or avoided, you’d think you’d allow yourself at least as much energy by way of relief, enthusiasm and celebration.
Yet, when was the last time you took real pause to acknowledge getting something crossed off the to do list? How often in a week or month do you invite people to listen as witnesses and cheerleaders to crossing another threshold in the pursuit of your dreams?
Most of us hardly ever do. Our productivity-driven brains tell us that’s silly, a waste of time, and maybe even selfish or too egocentric, so at nearly the same moment we get one thing done, our consciousness is redirected to focusing on the next with little to no fanfare in between.
Yet think about when children learn something new—to walk, read, ride a bike— those endeavors are going to require courage and risk. Mistakes and falls are going to happen, a lot of them in fact, so it's intuitively understood that they need people to cheer them on at each and every turn. “Hooray!” is cried when they start to stand up on their own, generous loving encouragement is heard when they fall down to ensure they have the nerve to get back up, and everyone near and dear is notified when the first steps are finally taken! It’s exhilarating to watch children grow and develop into each evolution of who they are, and the children who have people wholeheartedly witnessing and honoring all the chapters of life grow up to be some of the most loved and sincerely confident.
It’s not any different when we’re adults, except that now we are the ones responsible for keeping watch, for celebrating, and for letting those we trust know what next thing we’ve just had the nerve to try. This practice of holding sacred space for our growth builds the confidence for taking risks, anchors us in our true power and potential, and replenishes vital energy stores for next steps… just the same as it does for children and puppies and probably plants and all other living things.
