When you are met face to face with someone else’s accomplishments, what is your reaction? Do you respond with “Why does this never happen to me?” or “Some people have all the luck”. As you consider your response, think of this, would you want someone else to celebrate you? Although it may seem counterintuitive, when we learn to celebrate others, we can create a new pattern of gratitude, empathy and success in our own lives as well. Here are just a few reasons you should start celebrating others today.
Respect Their Journey – When you cheer on your friends’ and family’s achievements, it creates a healthy respect for their journey. We all struggle comparing our successes with others. The problem is when everyone is on their own journey they will have their own unique challenges to face. When we put ourselves in their shoes, we can begin to see what it took for them to achieve their victory.
Do Unto Others – It has been said that you should treat others how you would like to be treated. This age old saying is a challenge for all of us to consider how we treat others. From the highs and lows in life, treating others with dignity and respect will come back to you. You may call it paying it forward, but this act of reciprocity often creates an act of gratitude in the person you are celebrating. This may not seem like it is going to benefit you, but people will see how you treat others and afford you the same decency. When others see you celebrate others, word will spread of your good reputation, often creating opportunities for referrals and other opportunities to come your way.
Strengthens Friendships – One of the best ways to strengthen a bond between friends and family is to celebrate them. It can be tempting to be jealous or even resentful when we see those around us achieve success, but we should not allow it to win the day. When faced with jealousy, be intentional to turn it around, sharing their joy with them.
Gain Personal Motivation – Be it a promotion, a good report, or the like, when we see others succeed, we can believe the best for ourselves. When we see others succeed, it can be an inspiration for us to accomplish our own dreams. This little nudge can often be the thing you need to push you to pursue your dreams too.
Change Your Culture – When we can learn to celebrate others, we create a culture for others to celebrate us when it’s our turn. This means when we see someone accomplishing something, take a moment to celebrate them too. Avoid putting rain clouds on their moment and instead elevate them. This shift will be seen and heard by those around you and will, in turn, begin to change the way your community approaches success. Think of how a town celebrates student athletes achieving great things. Does it not empower them to go further? This type of peer-celebration is one of the best ways to create a healthy community. Take time to look out for each other and celebrate them along the way.
“When you are not celebrating others, don’t get upset when no one is celebrating you” – Ron Tijerina, founder of TYRO
Celebrating others is one of the best ways to change the world around you. From the cashier, to the clergymen, we all could use a little pat on the back. It is easy to get lost in the daily grind and fail to see the victories in those around us. Every day we have an opportunity to celebrate someone. Make an effort to see the wins in the people around you and let them know you are happy for them.