Want to celebrate life to the fullest? These tips will get you there!

Life is made up of so many small, beautiful moments. From a perfectly glazed cake to the first fluttering snowflakes to your cat cuddling and purring on your lap. But when things get tough, it’s hard to keep that positive mindset. How can you protect yourself from negativity? It’s simple. Celebrate life!

Why celebrate the little things in life?

Rites of passage, midsummer night celebrations and religious gatherings. As human beings, we’ve always known how to celebrate life. But, while we used to focus on monumental milestones, nowadays we’ll throw a party for nearly anything.

Partying together at festivals

Celebrations such as National Compliment Day, Doctor’s Assistant’s Day, or Writer’s Day are popping up like mushrooms – and there will undoubtedly be many more in the coming years. Of course, we could be very cynical about this, but it only shows how deeply rooted the need for celebration is. Especially when it happens collectively.

Communal celebration gives you the feeling of belonging, of being a part of something, and of doing things together. While dancing around the campfire with your tribe is not so common nowadays, the feeling is essentially the same as that of partygoers who sing and shout along to their favourite music at a festival.

Celebrating small moments

Sure, it’s natural that collective celebrations like festivals, Christmas, or a football victory lift our spirits for a brief moment. You feel happy, delighted, and ecstatic, warmed by the safe and loving glow of the collective. But how do you make sure that you hold on to that feeling? That you don’t hop from great moment to great moment in your life and pass the time in between as a bit… meh?

People who are happiest are those who practice gratitude every day. They’re grateful for the little things in life that others often take for granted. Do they feel broke, gloomy, and miserable in the morning? But did they manage to get out of bed and take a shower? Big kudos! Is their house a mess, but did they manage to clean out that pantry full of children’s artworks, expired rice cakes, and crisps scattered across the floor? Fantastic!

People who are happiest are those who practice gratitude on a daily basis.

Beacon of hope

Such small victories are important, as they’re the first step towards bigger victories. By celebrating the smaller milestones, you notice that you become a lot more enthusiastic in your daily life. Moreover, you’re doing something important: you’re acknowledging your self-worth.

Unfortunately, all too often we’re still guilty of negative self-talk. Many people get stuck in unpleasant events and feelings, even to the point that they cannot shake the feeling that nothing positive lies ahead. Dwelling on the small successes can help maintain mental balance. Having a collection of beautiful moments to look back on when times are tough acts as a hopeful beacon for the future. Not only does it make you stronger and more self-aware, it also gives you the confidence that positive things are bound to happen again. This too shall pass, you know.

Trust circle

It also makes it easier to see how life works in secret. We tend to think of life as a series of tasks that lead to an end. But like the medicine wheels of the Indian tribes, our lives are a carousel of highs and lows that are all connected. That’s why it’s such a waste to step over small moments thoughtlessly because we’re only concerned with our next dreams and goals.

Have you ever heard someone say: ‘Yes, I’m done! My life is perfect, everything’s sorted!’? No, there’s always a new challenge or bump in the road just around the corner. So why not stop along the way and celebrate the small, precious moments? Life is more than a series of tasks on a to-do list. And, it’s not about ticking off as many goals as possible. It’s about consciously dwelling on the positive experiences in our lives, however small they may be.

Life is more than a series of tasks on a to-do list.

An exercise in gratitude

But how do you do that? How do you celebrate your life and the moments that make it up? One of the most effective ways is to practice gratitude. Introducing yourself to being more grateful can profoundly change your attitude towards life.

So, be happy with what you have and count your blessings. Who knew that simple sayings could make such a difference?

Remarkable results

Dr Robert Emmons had a hunch about this. This psychology professor at the University of California studied the impact of gratitude on human well-being. For his study, he divided a few hundred participants into three different groups. All groups had to keep a daily journal. The first group wrote about all events and classified them as good or bad. The second group wrote only about the unpleasant events of the day. And the third group made a daily list of things they were grateful for.

The results were remarkable. All the writers in the third group gradually became more enthusiastic, decisive, optimistic, and energetic. They suffered less from depression and stress, were more willing to stand up for others and achieved their personal goals more easily. Moreover, they were better able to deal with setbacks and build stronger social relationships. Not bad.

Valuable tips!

But why should something as simple as a gratitude journal change your life? It’s actually quite simple. If you write down every day what went well, it reminds you of the good things in your life. You get a chain of positive experiences and events, so to speak. It also helps you to recognise beautiful moments more quickly, so that you don’t develop negative tunnel vision and everything in your life seems like deep misery.

If you make a daily note of what went well, it reminds you of the good things in your life.

Do you have problems at work? Then try to be grateful for the fact that you have work. That challenges come your way and that your life is not boring and monotonous. Be thankful that you can learn from these challenges and that they make you stronger. Showing thanks does not mean that everything in your life has to be wonderful. It just means that you’re aware of the bright sides.

Of course, all this is easier said than done. That’s why we’ve collected some valuable tips to learn to celebrate life:

1. Celebrate the day before it begins. While you’re still curled up in bed, take a few minutes to search your inner landscape for everything that makes you happy. Everything is good, even the simple fact of lying in a warm, cosy bed and cooking something new tonight.
2. Show your gratitude. Be aware that people sometimes do nice things for you and thank them for it. See it when someone is kind and helpful and acknowledge that too. And pay it forward.
3. Appreciate the negative sides in life. Sure, an obstacle can be difficult, but you’ll build up resilience in return. So that afterwards, you’re able to face even bigger challenges. Don’t panic about a small bump in the road, but be grateful for the life lessons you get to learn from it.
4. Write in your journal every evening. For example, set a timer and, within a minute, write out all the positive things that come up on the pristine white page. The smile of a stranger, your child running proudly from school with a drawing, or the fact that you met that deadline are enough. Don’t stop until the timer rings, and you’ll be amazed at all the wonderful things that have happened to you today.
5. Continue that positive mindset in bed and count your blessings before you go to sleep. No more worrying about tomorrow: focusing on the good things in life will reduce the mental stress that keeps you from sleeping. And we all know that nothing is better for your mood than a good night’s sleep.

Don’t put things off until tomorrow

What else can you do if you want to celebrate life more? Don’t forget to treat yourself when you reach a small milestone! Do something you’d normally never do and break out of your oppressive comfort zone.

Take a spontaneous day trip to the sauna, dine alone at a fancy restaurant, or take the train to discover a new city. Do something just for yourself. It may seem unimportant, but believe us: a well-deserved moment of freedom is always important.

Running through a meadow

Something that also helps: release your inner child. Stomp through a puddle, dance and sing in the sunshine, chat to your cat or the birds, and build a sandcastle. Or just frolic barefoot through a meadow.

In any case, being outside has a healing effect, especially when you’re in nature. Put your mind at rest, and open up your senses. There’s so much beauty to see and experience. Without wanting to be too deep here: it’s like a balm for a brooding mind.

Roaring with laughter

Try to laugh as much as possible. Whether it’s a smile, a giggle, or a shameless cackle. And, whether you’re with your friends or alone – a good laugh can do so much, not only for you, but also for the people around you.

And finally: stop putting things off. Nothing is more limiting than the thought that all the good stuff will come later. When that project is finished. Or when the kids have left home. Or when you’ve lost those 10 pounds. You’re not living in the future, you’re living now. So what are you waiting for?

Enjoy the small moments and act as if every beautiful moment is worth celebrating. Because, you know, it actually is.