Celebrate to Elevate: Why Celebration Is a Success Strategy

Links

https://youtu.be/mLBPhBBeBCk?si=2Me684iVdTO4S4I2

Do Life Website

www.layladawndoeslife.com

Certified Life and Business Coaching

Summary

In this episode, Layla Dawn explores the often-overlooked importance of celebration in personal growth. She emphasizes that success is not just about discipline but also about acknowledging and celebrating small wins. The conversation delves into the science behind celebration, explaining how it can rewire the brain and enhance motivation. Layla also discusses practical ways to celebrate progress authentically and warns against unhealthy celebration habits that can lead to burnout. Ultimately, she encourages listeners to integrate celebration into their daily lives as a discipline for sustainable growth.

Takeaways

• Success isn't just built through discipline, it's sustained through acknowledgement.
• Celebration is one of the most underrated tools in personal development.
• Don't wait to celebrate at the finish line; fuel your journey with celebration.
• Progress is the real win, not perfection.
• Celebration tells our mind and body to keep going.
• True celebration is a form of integration, reinforcing positive identity.
• You deserve to be proud of yourself; joy is essential on your path.
• Celebration isn't a distraction; it's a discipline for sustainable growth.
• Make celebration a regular practice to avoid burnout.
• Integrate celebration into your daily routines for lasting impact.

Sound Bites

• "Progress is the real win."
• "You deserve to be proud of yourself."
• "True celebration is a form of integration."
• "Make celebration contagious."

Chapters

00:00
The Power of Celebration in Personal Growth

10:29
Understanding the Science Behind Celebration

18:54
Healthy Growth Aligned Celebration Practices

26:24
Celebration as a Discipline for Sustainable Growth

Transcript

0:00

Success isn't just built through discipline, it's sustained through acknowledgement. And if you only celebrate the big wins, you're missing out on one of the most powerful tools for sustainable growth. We talk a lot about goals, productivity, and mindset on this podcast, but what about celebration? Not the loud social kind, but the intentional nervous system regulating kind. If you're skipping celebration, you're likely sabotaging your progress without even realizing it. Celebration is one of the most underrated tools in personal development and today I'm going to show you why making space for acknowledgement could be the key to your next breakthrough. We're redefining celebration not as a reward but as a strategy. Hi friends, welcome to the Do Life podcast where we explore real tools backed by science for transformation, clarity, and personal growth. I'm your host, Life Coach Layla And today we're talking about something I don't do enough. We don't do enough. Celebration, not just big birthdays or milestones. I'm talking about the everyday wins, the victories, the internal shifts that deserve a small pause, a smile, and just some serious recognition. In this episode, we're diving into how to know how to know how and when you should be celebrating, hint, it's more than you think, why celebration is actually a powerful success strategy and how to utilize it, the science behind how celebrating properly rewires your brain, some less than optimal ways that might be hindering our success through celebration, and some simple ways to start celebrating that feel authentic and not cheesy. So let's get into it. What is celebration really? The definition of the word is to acknowledge a significant or happy day or event with a social gathering or other enjoyable activity. So basically, celebration is acknowledgement. It's not just balloons and champagne and party hats. And while sometimes those are fun, celebration is simply an act of pausing and recognizing that you've done something aligned with your growth. Most people think of celebration as something that happens after major achievements, promotions, birthday, graduations. But in the context of personal development, celebration is something much more nuanced and far more powerful. it's the conscious act of acknowledging alignment when your actions choices mindset shifts in a way that reflects your values growth or goals this might be a big goal accomplished it might be choosing to respond and not react and anger You don't need an audience. You don't need permission. It doesn't need to be flashy. But you do need to let it land. Celebration is how we tell our mind and body to keep going. This reframe positioned celebration not as indulgent, but as an integral part of sustainable change. So let's get into when we should celebrate. Let's ask yourself, did I keep a promise to myself today? Did I do something that scared me or that I was avoiding? Did I make progress on a goal or project? Did you say no when your default is to people please? Did you rest without guilt? Did you respond instead of reacting? If you did any of those things, then take a moment to celebrate. We often wait for big dramatic results to feel worthy of joy. And in the truth, progress is the real win. You've heard me say over and over again, progress over perfection because We tend to avoid things. tend to avoid progress with the idea of waiting for perfection. So if you made progress, celebrate that because we'll get into the science in a minute. But basically, Progress is the real win. Progress can be small. It can be getting out of bed when your soul is tired. It can be Drinking water instead of going for another cup of coffee or a soda, can be just taking a moment for yourself. Don't wait to celebrate at the finish line. Fuel your progress with celebration along the way. And we'll talk more about that in a little bit. I know celebration isn't easy. So let's be real. You might hear voices in your head saying, it's not that big of a deal. I don't want to get too cocky. I don't want to feel self-righteous. I haven't even done enough yet. But the truth is not celebrating doesn't make you more productive. It just makes you feel more depleted. One of the biggest barriers I see is that people don't celebrate because they think it's unnecessary or premature, especially for high achievers. There's often a belief that if we stop to acknowledge our progress, we'll lose momentum or look self-congratulatory. But in reality, the opposite is true. Without celebration, growth starts to feel like a treadmill. You're moving but never arriving. You're doing all of the work that never seems to end. Over time, this erodes motivation and internal trust. We need moments of recognition, not for ego, but for integration. I know as a serial entrepreneur, you get stuck in the cycle of doing, doing, doing, and there's never ending goals and you're always working towards the next goals. And not only do we not stop and take the time to celebrate each goal because we're just focused on the next goal. But we lose the momentum along the way and it turns into burnout. How many times have you, you've got this goal and you accomplish this goal and you go to the next goal and the next, and then all of a sudden you're like, what am I even doing with my life? I don't even want to do this anymore. I'm not motivated. I'm not happy. And this was my dream. This was my life. This is something I longed to do. And it's because we let ourselves get burnt out because we didn't take the time to stop and recognize our milestones, our achievements. Every time you make a goal, you need to make at the very least stop and acknowledge your progress. And ideally, acknowledge and celebrate your progress along the way. You don't need to wait for a milestone. You need a moment of meaningful progress. If it stretched you, if it shaped you, that's worth honoring. And with that being said, want to get into the science behind celebration because it's not just some feel-good ritual. It's a literal brain hack. It's a proven cognitive strategy. Every time you celebrate a win, brain releases dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter. This not only reinforces the behavior we just engaged in, it also increases our motivation and resilience moving forward. This is your brain's way of saying, yes, that felt good, let's do it again. The more you acknowledge positive steps, the more your brain craves that behavior again. It builds momentum. why the people who celebrate regularly are more likely to keep good habits, feel confident, and avoid burnout. It's not fluffy, it's functional. Additionally, when we pair effort with positive emotional feedback, we reduce stress hormones like cortisol and begin to associate personal growth with a sense of safety and satisfaction, not just struggle. Safety equals sustainability. And this is particularly important for those of us who are breaking out of high stress or high performance conditioning where progress is overlooked and burnout is normalized. I did a whole episode on burnout. I've actually done a couple. I will link one of those in the show notes below. Highly recommend you look into it. But let's talk about what we should celebrate. I've mentioned it's the small things that we're often dismissed. The micro-wins, like making a call you've been avoiding. It's emotional shifts, staying calm in a difficult situation or during a hard conversation. It's habitual consistency. It's showing up even when it's inconvenient. It's recognizing positive identity shifts when you see yourself differently, more empowered, more capable. We're not just celebrating achievements, we're celebrating alignment. If you can't think of anything, look smaller, look harder, look deeper. When we fail to acknowledge these small shifts, we're essentially training our nervous system to associate growth with effort, but not reward. And over time that leads to resistance, avoidance, and emotional fatigue. You deserve to be proud of yourself. You need to feel joy along your path. Nobody's giving out medals for being burnt out. get out of the hustle culture or stay in the hustle culture if you want to but reward yourself along the way. Okay. And reward yourself well, which that'll bring me to my next category is celebration backfires, the hidden cost of false rewards. Not all celebration is productive. And some of the most common ways we think we're rewarding ourselves are actually creating long-term dysfunction. I'm sorry, long-term dysregulation. Let's talk about celebration gone sideways. The kind that feels good in the moment but subtly undermines our progress, our identity, and our nervous system. common example, celebrating at the end of a stressful week by drinking a bunch of alcohol, binge eating, excessive spending, compulsive sexual behavior, even emotional numbing. What about getting so drunk on your wedding night that you can't commemorate the event? The intention might be relief or reward. You might be actually celebrating in your mind, But what's actually happening is a short-term dopamine spike followed by nervous system depletion. Here's what the science tells us. Dopamine dysregulation often occurs when we chase after artificial rewards like sugar, alcohol, compulsive behaviors, substitutes for real fulfillment. while they provide an immediate high, don't. They don't offer the same internal integration that conscious consistent celebration does. Over time, this leads to a cycle of external soothing without internal resolution, which means stress, frustration, misalignment, you're trying to escape stays unresolved in the back. These types of celebration behaviors reinforce survival mode, not self leadership. You're celebrating escaping your week versus acknowledging how you handled it or how you grew through it. It may sound harsh, but here's the truth. If your reward system is based on self abandonment or self sabotage, It's not a celebration, it's a coping mechanism. And you can be mad at me if you want for saying that, but think about it. Pause the video and really reflect on what I just said. Are you celebrating or are you coping? is drinking yourself blacked out every weekend, really celebrating surviving your work week? Or is it coping through the emotions to help numb them long enough to survive another week? Do some deep reflection there. So with that being said, what does Healthy Growth Aligned celebration look like? True celebration is a form of integration. It reinforces the identity you're building, not the one you're trying to escape. Celebration doesn't mean throwing a party. It doesn't have to be performative or even public. In fact, some of the most powerful forms of celebration are private, internal, and personal. And this is where you can get creative. Use movement as an acknowledgement. Do a little dance. Make a little love. Let's get down tonight. I am so sorry. ah But no, seriously, dance to your favorite song. Take a victory lap or skip or just stretch. Like not to burn off energy, but to embody your progress. Do reflection rituals. You can write in your journal, write your progress, write a moment that you're proud of, write something that you did that you didn't think you could do. Acknowledge your accomplishments. Or use voice notes. Capture your thoughts, what you're proud of. You can also use connection. You can share your win with a trusted friend. Call somebody and be like, girl, you know that thing that I was avoiding? Or you know that project I mentioned forever ago? You can even share it on social medias. If you think that you have a good support system following you, I have too many trolls on some of my socials and I know the second I go to celebrate something, I'll be ridiculed for bragging or talking about myself or somebody will have something negative or ignorant to say just to try to put me down because they don't, can't and won't appreciate any kind of self-affirmation. Make sure you have a good support system that you trust if you want to reach out to somebody. You can also utilize rest and replenishment as a form of celebration. I know a lot of people that they work hard, hard, hard. And entrepreneurs, you can do all kinds of random stuff that you don't get to do in a nine to five job. So I have friends that will work so hard for three months, like nonstop. They don't go anywhere. They don't do anything. They don't hang out with anyone. They're just work, work, work. But then they take a whole month off. and they do whatever they want in that month and they don't have to think or stress or worry about work. So giving themselves that time off is their way of celebrating their accomplishments or achievements, whatever it was that they were working on for those three months. Realistically, it doesn't have to be a month off. You can just take an hour, no social media, just turn your phone on silent, however that looks like you. It could just be a quiet afternoon. a phone free evening, a nourishing meal. choose restorative pleasure over numbing pleasure. You can also do symbolic rewards. like a small intentional purchase or gesture. that represents the progress that you've made. A new journal, a plant, a piece of jewelry. Let it mean something, but plan it in advance So it's intentional and not impulsive. Or you can just keep it simple. A smile and internally be like, yes, I did that. And then move forward. Any little ritual like... ring a bell, clap your hands, do a happy shimmy or... or give yourself a break. Get to go sit down for a minute, take 10 minutes to scroll social media, whatever you want. My celebrations will vary depending on the task at hand. There's sometimes I get up and I do a happy little bird stomp. I might jump up. I might do a ballerina twirl and curtsy in front of my desk. I might just clap and woohoo. Sometimes I double flip off the computer and be like in your face. Like there's no judgment however you want to celebrate and that whatever makes you feel good in the moment. Do that. Do that. If you think you might have a difficult time remembering to celebrate, maybe integrate it into your daily routines. When you're brushing your teeth at night, think about three things that you want to celebrate. Think three things that you accomplished today that you want to celebrate. You can also do weekly wins like a Friday recap or Sundays when I plan my following week. Sometimes I'll sit and I think, okay, what did I accomplish last week that I'm proud of? What didn't I get done? What can I do better? So I have a whole weekly ritual. You can do daily, weekly, monthly. You can do a monthly. Solo gratitude date. You can go to your favorite restaurant or just order your favorite meal or maybe go see a movie or celebrate yourself once a month in a way that feels aligned with you. When your celebration aligns with your future self and not your past survival habits, it becomes a form of leadership. It builds emotional equity and it keeps your nervous system in a state of supportive alertness and not chronic overdrive. So many of us are looking for motivation, clarity, or momentum. And while we chase the next goal, we often miss the opportunity to source strength from the progress we've already made. Celebration isn't a distraction, it's a discipline. It's not about ego, it's about embodiment. importantly, it's way to make sure that growth on your journey is sustainable, grounded, and deeply fulfilling. Here's a little experiment. For the next three days, write down one big win every day, big or small. at the end of the day, celebrate in some way. Share it, dance, breathe. However, do you want to just breathe it in and be like, I did the thing. However celebration looks for you, do it. For the next three days, practice celebrating. you want to share your wins on social with me, I would love that. Like, share, subscribe on the podcast do all the things leave a review and If you want to go deeper book a one-on-one with me through my website I will link it in the show notes below as well. Let's make celebration contagious This is so important for so many of us, for so many reasons. And I know this is a very short episode because I mean, I want to take time to celebrate myself for accomplishing this episode and doing the things. And I think you should accomplish, celebrate yourself for listening to this. This is a self help podcast. So if you're listening to my podcast, then you are interested in doing better for yourself and learning new ways to integrate. meaningful progress into your routine. So celebrate yourself for listening to this, for taking the time, for being here and for showing up. I want to thank you for taking the time for being here and showing up and listening. I love you and appreciate you so much. So let's go do life celebratorily. Is that a word? It is now. Bye.