It is absolutely 100% a-okay to celebrate the S!$T out of something you did that you are very happy about.

And, as I am telling you this, I will admit that I just re-learned this lesson again a few days ago. I know – to truly celebrate you can be hard.

I worked for two years writing and producing my first novel. It is infused with things that I am passionate about. 80s heavy metal. Serial killers. Detectives and criminal profiling. And wilderness.

For an entire week leading up to the 80s Heavy Metal Party / Book Launch that I had planned, I was seeping self-doubt and dripping with a feeling that I was a self-indulgent m!#er f%&er. Yes. But – I have a tool box now for when I have these feelings. I rid myself of negative thoughts and replaced them with positive and exciting ones. And I worked on my energy – I tapped into that inner glow, that inner WHAM BAM that people see in me. I let it swell within in, a growing ball of powerful punch, until it was ready for the PARTAY! Thus, I put myself out there now to show you that it is totally OK for you to celebrate you!!!

When the launch day came, I eased into it. All my hard work and planning was done. Everything was in place. I let go. I allowed myself to truly enjoy and be in every moment. And guess what? I celebrated like an 80s rock star!!!

Are you smiling at this? I hope so! How may times have you filled with happiness when you see someone else accomplish something? If you were witness to someone dancing across the room in glee – wouldn’t you feel happy?

A critical component of the week leading up the launch was the amazing support my friends gave me. The words – this is your day, you should totally celebrate, and many more blasted from their lips, washing away my self-doubt and worry. They convinced me to let go. Thus – I am here to pay that forward and convince you!

Celebration – of you – is OK!!! 

Guess what happens when you allow yourself to do it? Others feed on that amazing energy that you infuse into the ether. Yes, they do. As I danced my heart out and truly enjoyed the party, well, other people joined in. Which is exactly what I was hoping for. People who haven’t danced in years were up there. People who at first said no, soon couldn’t resist the twitch taking over their body.

People showed up in 80s glitter-glam and metal rock star attire galore!

 

They wanted a celebration. They wanted that awesome energy. It was spectacular!!!

 

 

This guy even put on MY gidget sized pants! Yeah – that’s the power of celebration!

Celebration – of you – is OK!!! Celebration seeds amazing energy into others.

Now if that wasn’t enough to convince me…these guys definitely did!

 

The coolest band in town – NöIZE BöYZ (Silly Wrabbit) say so!

The conclusion is. It is OK to CELEBRATE YOU!!!

Celebration is also necessary. Yeah bitches! It. Is. Necessary. I’m sure you’ll come along with these next few statements. I set goals. Some of them are big and take a while. Along the way, I get caught up in the work. I push myself. Hard. This is good. To me, something that takes a little blood, sweat and tears (well, maybe not blood, unless you are writing murder) – always ends up being something worthwhile. Easy things never seem satisfying. Because I know how easy they were.

Thus – it is important to pull my head up once in a while. It helps me to see where I am, how far I have come, and what I have done.

I think we need to celebrate the big wins, but also the little ones along the way.

I set mini celebrations along the way to the big goal. My favorite mini celebration is to go somewhere that I cannot be bothered, order a glass of bubbly, and read something delicious. Yeah. A mini bubbly read-a-treat. I spend a few minutes thinking about the smaller accomplishment that is feeding the ultimate bigger one.

This is important. It fuels the fire that keeps your motivation burning right to the end of the finish line.

Now. When you get to the end…celebrate big. Whatever that means for you. And we all have our own unique ways of celebrating.

Since my unique work of art is infused with one of my biggest passions (80s Heavy Metal) and since the book takes place in 1987, it seemed fitting to have an 80s Metal Party in place of a book launch. Plus – it gave me the space to allow myself to celebrate in a way that I would truly enjoy.

I didn’t hold back (and all those who attended and were subjected to my dance moves will definitely back up this statement). I had so much fun. I felt so happy. I felt free.

The celebration made me realize, yeah, I did a lot of work, I didn’t give up, and I just kept working at it until the vision in my head had morphed into a realistic representation.

The celebration created a real memory for me. One I can look back on the next time my head is buried deep in the work and I need a little kick. I mean….how will I ever forget huddling in the middle of the coolest rock band in town!!! These guys, known everywhere as Silly Wrabbit, are just too Kool for Skool!!! They dug out their digs and tracks and became the NöIZE BöYZ for the evening. They reinforced for me – hell ya – celebrate your book like a rock star!

So. Are you ready to celebrate you? What big goal are you working towards right now? What mini milestones can you celebrate along the way? And what are you going to do to truly allow yourself to celebrate you when you get to the end?

Write it down now, or share it here.

ALL PHOTOS by Aune Photo. Aren’t they awesome? And those killer action shots!

The coolest rock band in town –Silly Wrabbit (with a side of Noize Boyz)