Yesterday was my 37th Birthday.  So naturally I am celebrating all week…because I can and will.  I used to feel awkward about celebrating things but these days I celebrate so much more than just birthday’s.

It used to be that I would absolutely not celebrate any part of a goal until I accomplished the whole thing.  Not only was it silly to celebrate something “small” when you still have more to do but it also seemed like ‘counting your chickens before they’ve hatched’ or ‘jinxing it’.  But you know what I’ve decided now?  It’s the journey, not the destination.

When I only celebrated the next big success it always felt like there had to be something else.

I’d be happy when I lost x number of pounds  
I’d be happy when I could lift x weight
I’d be happy when I was finished school 
I’d be happy when we got married   
...when we bought a house
...when I got a “good job”  
...when I got a dog
...went on vacation...paid the mortgage off...got a better job...got a good nights sleep...got another dog…

This list is endless (and it would probably include a LOT of dogs).

But guess what?  None of THAT is going to ever make me happy for more than a few moments.  Ever.  They’re all very temporary…and then we’re left looking for the next big thing.  The next goal.  The next rush of adrenaline.  It’s a vicious circle and it’s never going to be enough.

So instead, now I celebrate everything.  Sunshiny day? Awesome! Got one step closer to accomplishing a goal? Hell yes!  Someone’s having a birthday? Champagne please! Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate! And when my clients have a win…they lift more, they fit pants they haven’t in years, they lose a pound while still enjoying their life, they find themselves ENJOYING their workouts, they feel good in their skin…there will be actual cheering from me and I’ll have a big silly smile on my face for HOURS.

Celebrating for me looks like stopping what I’m doing and just dancing it out wherever I am (seriously, my niece and I stopped in the middle of a run and did a hype up dance on the sidewalk, just because it made us feel good), or throwing my hands up in the air and cheering with legitimate joy, or calling/messaging someone to tell them about something great that happened, or taking a picture and posting it on Instagram…sure some people think I’m nuts or don’t get it, that’s fine.  I’m not here for the haters.  I’m here for the joy.  I’m here for the fun.  I’m here for living life for every little moment – not simply existing in between big occasions when we’re allowed to have cake.

It took me 14 months to lose 45 lbs.  I absolutely could have done it faster, but instead of just focusing on losing weight I focused on getting healthier.  Adapting foods I love to be a bit healthier/more nutritious, focused more on building muscle and getting stronger and integrating regular exercise into my life for the long term.  And I celebrated everything along the way – not with parties or treats or drinks every time – but just with letting myself be happy and proud about the little things. By enjoying being where I am at RIGHT NOW.  When I found a great new recipe, when I lifted more, noticed a bit more definition in my shoulders, or a stubborn roll was smoothing out a little, or someone else commented on my progress…when I woke up just feeling good!

If your goal is to lose 20 lbs, don’t wait to lose 20 lbs to be happy.  Celebrate every single pound you lose along the way.  Dance it out, cheer, brag, check yourself out in the mirror and admire all that hard work you’re doing.

If your goal is to be debt free, don’t wait until you’ve paid off your mortgage to be happy in your home; celebrate how much you’ve done already and admire how far you’ve come.  I look around at my home all the time and remember the little one bedroom apartment we had before this and think, “DAMN!  We’ve come a LONG way from having to walk around in our underwear because we had no air conditioning and lived over a laundromat.”  And when we were in that apartment?  I should have been looking around thinking “Man, when we met we were two dopey teenagers sneaking out of our parents houses after curfew and now we have a beautiful apartment together.” (I think I did have some moments like that…but I wasn’t at the point where I was celebrating the little things QUITE as much).

Of course sometimes even if you celebrate as you go you might not reach a goal.  Any celebrating and cheering for yourself you did along the way didn’t jinx you and you should not be embarrassed for having been happy about them. Any milestones you celebrated along the way DESERVED TO BE CELEBRATED.  I can promise you that you are much more likely to try again – come at it from another angle, just get back on track, pick up where you left off – if you are celebrating and believing in yourself then you will if you just didn’t accomplish a goal and aren’t giving yourself any credit for how far you did get.

And this is absolutely not to say that you shouldn’t celebrate when you reach a goal!  OF COURSE YOU SHOULD!  Go big!  Pop the bubbly, make a cake, buy a new pair of jeans, book yourself some photos…whatever works for you but acknowledge that and mark it down in history and make a big freakin deal of it because that is huge.

Just don’t forget about all the little moments along the way; those are the ones you get each day.

Be here for celebrating your life, not waiting on it, because life itself is a very big deal.