I’m learning, thanks to a lot of help from friends, that celebration isn’t just for the finish line. Many of us wait to celebrate until the big achievement arrives—the graduation, the promotion, the milestone reached. But Katherine Wolf recently reminded me that if we only celebrate the outcome, we miss the joy available right now.
The truth is, outcomes don’t always come in the ways we expect—or sometimes at all. Learning to celebrate in the process matters. Here are a few simple ways to practice celebrating our story now:
1. CELEBRATE SMALL WINS.
Notice the progress, not just the finish line. Did you take the next step? Did you show up? That’s worth celebrating.
2. DELIGHT IN THE ORDINARY.
Delight doesn’t always come with fireworks. Sometimes it’s in a kind word, a shared laugh, or a quiet moment of rest.
3. NAME WHAT IS PRESENT, NOT JUST WHAT IS MISSING.
Especially in the context of disability, there may be limitations. But there are also significant gifts in the story that can shape a hopeful future.
As Katherine Wolf reminds us,
“We can’t wait to celebrate until the outcome, because the reality of course, as human beings, [is] that outcomes don’t always come on earth. So we might as well get busy celebrating what we do have.”
Don’t wait to celebrate. Find the joy along the way.💛
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There’s more! Listen in to my full conversation with Katherine Wolf—Don’t Wait to Celebrate: Disability and Delight.
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