A Charge for Each of Us: Celebrate Yourself!
I remember for so long, when special occasions such as my birthday or Christmas came around, part of me would get a little sad over the fact that I felt some people in my life didn’t immediately think of me in the way that I would have liked for them to. Essentially I was waiting on them to throw me a celebration. It didn’t matter if the celebration came in the form of a gift, a mention, a phone call, or a dinner, but as long as they did something that validated me as someone who was special, or as someone who was worth it, then that was what I wanted.
Now if you have special people in your life playing the role(s) of spouse, significant other, friend, mother, father, children, or siblings then I would hope that those are healthy relationships and that you are receiving what you need from them on those special occasions in your life and that likewise you are showing the same love in return to them on their special days as well.
Still, the hard truth is that even those who hold special places in our hearts and in our lives don’t always validate us. They don’t always show us the appreciation we may think we deserve when we’d like them to.
It would be great if they did.
However, what happens to us emotionally when they don’t?
When a special occasion or holiday comes around such as your birthday, Christmas, or even Valentine’s Day, how do you react when you don’t get a gift, or a mention, or a well wish?
If we’re honest, a lot of us would have to admit that we are a bit hurt about it.
But I have a few questions for you…
Do you celebrate yourself?
Do you validate yourself?
Do you recognize your own self-worth?
If you don’t, then how can you feel any offense or emotional pain because someone else did not when you don’t or simply won’t even do these things for yourself?
No one else has any greater obligation to you than you have to yourself.
Celebrating yourself means that you are honoring yourself!
When your birthday comes around, do you realize that when you were conceived, you were strong enough to make it when others did not? Do you realize that you were born alive and healthy and in your right mind when others were not? Do you know that you are where you are at this particular moment because of God’s grace, mercy, and blessing? YOU made it!
Why on earth would you wait on someone else to validate that for you and celebrate your greatness?
Celebrate yourself!
When Mother’s Day comes around, it means that you were divinely chosen to usher a life into this world. It means that you are a fighter, a nurturer, a teacher, a lover, and an angel to a little one who cannot care for themselves. You are great. You are a treasure.
Don’t wait on someone else to recognize your worth and appreciate the value that you hold.
Celebrate yourself!
When Valentine’s Day comes around, if you have someone to love, anybody to love, then celebrate that! It doesn’t have to be a spouse or a significant other. Simply celebrate the love that you do have in your life, right now, in this moment.
It will be a sad surrealistic moment for you when you begin to get older and you realize that you’ve lost special moments simply because you were waiting on someone else to do something for you that perhaps you should have been doing for yourself all along.
Furthermore, even if you do have great relationships with your significant other or your family and they never ever miss special moments in your life, you should still strive to take a moment to celebrate, validate, and recognize your own self-worth on your own without any prompting from anyone else.
Celebrating yourself means honoring who you are and what God has created you to become. It means not taking for granted that you were given this life to live and that you are still here to give your testimony.
Celebrating yourself is an act of thankfulness and gladness for the blessings God has given.
So I charge you today.
Don’t wait on others.
Celebrate yourself!
A. L. Hearn