Today, on 7th December, it is National Cotton Candy Day in USA, or candyfloss as it is known in the UK. Yes, this European creation whose production was mechanised (like other inventions) by an American in the late 1800s, has its own celebration day. Sweet!
In addition, this day commemorates Civil Aviation, which is a United Nations designation for all benefits associated with flying, which my home country was originally not on board with (pun intended!). There are lots of other recognition and awareness days during December, from the serious such as International Human Rights and Animal Rights to the festive, such as Christmas Jumper Day (all three are on 10th December so you could have fun combining these themes!).
This got me thinking. We are constantly celebrating others and innumerable external things, yet apart from our Birthday each year, we do not make a particular effort to celebrate us. So how about we create a special celebration day for ourselves, to promote awareness of our own achievements and recognise our contribution to making the planet a fun place to be?
You may recoil at the idea of this. I know that many people struggle with sharing their successes with others so you could make this a special, private day if preferred. Or perhaps you could involve others and make it a team or family initiative, to help encourage each other?
Suggestions include:
A celebration of all your achievements this year, Rachel: list them out, if you don’t already do this
Recognising your massive effort and learning on specific activities
Reflecting on major challenges and obstacles that you have overcome
High fiving yourself for keeping your boundaries
Remembering your strengths and skills
Celebrating your uniqueness and quirks
Write and speak your acceptance speech for winning the Award for… insert relevant title(s)
This will lead you to think about what you want 2022 to be all about, and we will get to that next month. So often we want to jump ahead and forget to celebrate the here and now, but by focusing on this year’s success and getting clear on the current situation, you will be better prepared to create your Vision and plan for next year.
I would LOVE to hear the creative ways that you choose to celebrate yourself so please contact me and I promise that I will respond, (not a robot!).