Imagine you wake up on your birthday…
Someone is whispering in your ear. Which words make you feel more confident?
“You’re here now—better make the best of it!”
… or …
“Welcome to this day—I’m so glad you were born!”
“Duh!” you might say. But here’s the catch. Which do you tell yourself on your birthday? Even more impactful, which do you tell yourself every day?
The truth is, confidence loves celebration! How do you celebrate? Quietly? Privately? Do you tell the waitress when you are out to dinner? Do you let your friends and coworkers know? How long do you let the celebration continue?
My birthday passed this week—
Consequently, I’ve been thinking: The way we celebrate ourselves, just like our capacity to receive, is a measure of how confident we are and how confident we will allow ourselves to become. Celebrating yourself, receiving the love and beauty around you, is a fundamental way to feed your Self, and therefore your self-esteem.
Confidence loves celebration.
Think about it. Envision that ideal daydream of yours—the “life as you really want it to be” vision. You feel relaxed, confident, and happy in that vision, right? Now. Who do you have to become to live that dream? Whatever the answer, I’m betting confidence plays a big role. You will have to take actions you’ve not yet dared take to achieve your vision. In this daydream, do you have a hard time receiving money? Compliments? Attention? Of course not! Feeling deserving of all of that is part of Confidence.
Celebration feeds confidence.
I did a much better job approaching my birthday with intent to be celebrated than I have in the past. I was full-on ready to receive—wide open, excited for the cards, the phone calls, the emails, and the birthday serenades. I didn’t tell the waitress when we ate breakfast out, but the next night out to dinner I did, and she brought me a complimentary bowl of delicious mango ice cream!
Best of all, I changed my birthday visibility status on Facebook. I had it “private,” so only I could see it. Why? I don’t know, something about not wanting to be pigeonholed by my age. But I love wishing my friends Happy Birthday, and I was disappointed last year when only one or two people left me messages. This year I made it public—and I got a flood of good wishes! Chalk one up to my growth in the Receiving category!
If I can get one thing across to you today, it’s this: in order to live your way into that bigger, better, deeper, richer, more blissful life, you need to live like that person NOW. Start celebrating YOU every chance you get, not just once a year. If I could live each day as open to receiving as I was on my birthday, I know I’d see changes left and right!
Coach’s Challenge:
Great concepts like Confidence Loves Celebration get lost because they are too large, too overwhelming to apply. Start small. Every day this week, ask yourself: “How can I celebrate myself today?” Then do whatever comes to you, and stay open! Feels your confidence swell through the delight of celebration!
