“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you”

– Walt Whitman, Song of myself

 

Happy new year everyone.

As we enter a new year and a new decade, I’ve been taking time to reflect on the last year and the last decade. It seems as if I’m at that point where I can think in decades now. When did that happen?

Perhaps, if you’re like me, you can be hard on yourself sometimes. At times, my mind tends to focus on the things I haven’t done, or want to still do. Do you do the same? Naturally, I tend to overlook and forget about all of the amazing things that have happened over the last year and last decade.

It’s a mistake.

Problematic, in fact. Focussing on the future instead of honouring your present is a quick road to misery. It’s often said that desire is the cause of suffering. In that same vain, constantly looking ahead without taking in your present keeps you from appreciating all you already have.

Ten years is a long time and a lot has happened. When I allow myself to think about it,  it’s been a pretty amazing last decade.

I was a resident ten years ago at this time. I had no idea where I’d be today. Now I’m a long experienced staff with the grey hairs (and no hairs) to show for it. I’ve been all around the world and fulfilled a life dream to make international work a part of my life. Lived in some great cities (London, Calgary, Toronto) and worked in some amazing contexts (Yemen, South Sudan, Ethiopia). I’ve loved, I’ve laughed, I’ve lost, I’ve learned. I’ve grown up in so many ways.

But despite all of that my mind tends to focus ahead. On what I’m missing and what’s next.

I understand that and I’d like to consciously change it. I’m usually not a big fan of resolutions, but this year I did resolve a couple of things. Last year was very goal based and I set myself a whole bunch of personal and professional goals. Some I accomplished (I started a blog experiment!), and some I didn’t, and that’s okay. I certainly figured a few things out a lot along the way.

Upon reflection, I realized that I’ve been too outcome driven. It’s good to have goals, but  I can be a bit too strive-y and can focus too much on what I want to achieve instead of the process.

 

“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe

 

For the upcoming year, there are many things I’d like to still work towards. There always will be. And I know my personality and I’ll continue striving.

But, in the midst of all the looking forward, I’ve missed out on opportunities to just simply enjoy now. Accept it. And celebrate it! It’s time to celebrate a bit more. Celebrate myself. All that I have. And all that I am.

So with that, I’d like to think about how we all can celebrate ourselves a little bit more.

 

How do you celebrate yourself?

What brings you joy? How can you include more of that in your life?

 

To start. What are the simple pleasures that make you feel good?

Can you soak them in for just a moment or two longer?

When I look for them, there are so many things in each day that bring me moments of joy. Even for just a few seconds.

The feeling of fresh air on my face when I’m outside.

A bite into a delicious piece of fruit.

Listening to music that moves me or makes me smile.

That first sip of coffee in the morning.

Cozying under a blanket with a good book.

And those are just simple ways to look for joy and celebration in your life. Can you just spend a few extra moments savouring all the wonderful things you experience each day?

 

How do YOU actively cultivate joy?

Can you do a little more of that in the next year?

What is it that you absolutely love to do? Something that makes you lose all sense of time and place? What puts you into a flow state? Are there activities that bring out your childlike sense of freedom and happiness?

For me. There will be more music and more dance parties in 2020 to be sure. More movement, more exercise, more nature and more play. I’ve already booked a series of mini-trips with friends and am looking into more little adventures in the next year. In the last year I’ve been guilting myself into being more responsible and putting more time into the things that are expected of me rather than what I might want to be doing. Scrap that. I’m going back to doing things that excite me in this new year. Who knows what doors that will open?

Life is short and my job reminds me of that often. None of us really know what our future holds. The only thing I’m really in control of is how I feel and what I personally can do. Might as well spend that time with people I love, doing things that bring me joy. Hopefully making things better for others along the way.

It’s time to figure out what makes you feel good and do a little more of that this year. If you can, forget about what you “should” be doing as much as you can. Sure there’s responsibilities for all of us. But there’s also a lot of awesome in each day.

It’s okay to just let loose once in a while and celebrate this life that you get to live.

 

Think about all that you’ve already accomplished.

 

Take a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come. If you’re in the medical field like me, you’ve already accomplished so much. And if you’re not in medicine, great! There’s probably a lot you’ve achieved in your own way.

As a medical student, you’ve likely worked really hard to get to where you are. Think about it, you’re learning things that you’ve dreamed of for some time. By just being a medical student, you’re have an opportunity that other people would love to have. Think about how hard you worked to get here. Congratulate yourself! Medical school is full of wonderful experiences.

If you’re in residency, it can be easy to forget about all the things you’ve accomplished along the way as you get lost in work and are caught looking ahead. Think about how far you’ve come. How much you’re learning. How much you’ve grown as a physician and a person over the last few years. Remember what it was like in medical school? Celebrate how much you’ve learnt since that time.

As a staff, there’s a lot to celebrate. You’re there. Living the life that you’ve worked so hard to cultivate. Now you’re the boss and have the privileged responsibility of directly caring for others. Maybe you have residents and students that you now teach. How crazy is that?! Sure, it might not look or feel exactly like you thought it would. That’s okay. There’s so much to celebrate about how far you’ve come and the life that you now have the freedom to live.

Celebrating yourself is another way to accept where you presently are.

In fact there’s no other place you’re supposed to be and nothing else you’re supposed to be doing. I repeat, you’re exactly where you need to be and doing exactly what you need to be doing. It’s something I try and remind myself of often.

This. This is all there is.

 

Celebrate

Celebration can happen in so many ways. We each have unique ways of caring for ourselves and will find our own ways to celebrate our successes. How will you celebrate your little victories this year? A pat on the back? A little treat for yourself? A little getaway?

As an exercise, think about writing down all that you’ve accomplished to this point. What are the awesome things that have happened to you in the last decade?! I bet you that the list is a lot longer than you think and it extends far beyond medicine. Include things you’ve learned and ways you’ve grown. Cut yourself a little slack and take the time to pat yourself on the back with all of the amazing things you’ve done.

I guarantee that there’s a lot to celebrate. Take some time to indulge in all of the awesome things you’ve experienced.

If nothing else, you are alive. There are wonderful things to experience each day. You are loved. Successful. Safe. You are likely respected and held in high esteem by others. And if not, you always have the freedom to change.

It doesn’t matter what others have done and what you goals you still have. I’m speaking to myself here too. Those things will come and by celebrating your today it doesn’t take away from what you want for your tomorrow.

It just reminds you that you’ve already come so far and done so much. Celebrate yourself. It’s amazing you’ve come this far.

 

If you need a little help in celebrating enjoy this little tune about celebrating from Anderson .Paak. Bonus celebratory points if you dance a little while the music plays.

 

How many others have walked the same ground you have
You will be wise to pay attention to your old head
I spent the whole day throwing records in the deep end
So lets celebrate while we still can

If you’d like to read more about on why you should celebrate yourself, check out this article on Medium.

And for good measure, one of my favourite collection of poems. Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself.

How do you celebrate yourself? Please let me know. .