Introduction: Canada 150 Anniversary Celebration: Why Celebrations Are Important
Do you celebrate the important moments in your life? Do you even think that celebrations are important? Canada is 150 years old. All around Toronto, you can see signs of ‘Canada's 150 Anniversary celebration.’
You see signs throughout the Chapters-Indigo bookstore that the world needs more Canada. It is nice to see the signs because it makes you feel proud to be a Canadian. You feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself.
Why am I writing this post?
Because I have to. I tend to be more on the serious side. My friends tell me that I need to laugh and smile more. I smile and laugh a lot when I am reading because reading gives me pleasure. But I am usually by myself. When I look back, I was always like that.
My mother asked me if I wanted a Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party, and I said no. It was a non-event for me, just another day. Because I did not celebrate the moment, I cannot remember what I did that day. When I turned 21, my mother asked once again, if I wanted a party, and I said no.
And that is what I have done throughout my life. Because of that, I do not have many records of momentous events in my life. And reflecting on things, that is not a good place to be.
When I published my first book, I felt good, and I remember shedding tears of joy at the accomplishment as I walked down Yonge Street. But I did not celebrate. What I now realize is that not celebrating my accomplishments, I trivialize them. And that is something that we should never do. If you take your accomplishments for granted, why should others care about them?
A few years ago, I decided to work on a non-degree liberal arts education (still have to read the classics to complete it). Every morning, for three hours, I was at my desk taking courses, and I learned so much. I still use the information that I learned. How many people would take the time to do something like that? Not many. That was a major accomplishment, yet I did not celebrate. I did what I usually do, move on to the next project. What I now realize, is that is not living, it is not experiencing an event, it is focusing on the end goal. You are always looking at what is next, never savoring the moment.
When I won one of the World of Difference 100 Awards in 2015, for personal reasons I was unable to accept the award in person. But what I could have done, now looking back, was to connect with others who won the award. Several of them are Canadians.
Last year, I created the Read the World Extreme Reading Challenge. And I was one of two people who completed it. Since I created the challenge, I gave the other participant a Certificate of Completion, and she was happy to receive it. It is not an easy challenge to complete, you read a book every six days.
And most people seldom get beyond Month Three. They can see the benefits of participating in the reading challenge, but they are not prepared to invest the time. I did not create a certificate of completion for myself. Why not? Who cares if I give myself a certificate. That is nobody’s business. I am celebrating me, and you should celebrate you.
I should have taken the time to create a beautiful Certificate of Completion, like the one I made for the other participant, who invested the time to complete the challenge.
Do not do what I have done. Celebrate every chance you get because you are worth it.
I am going to take part in the Canada 150 Anniversary Celebration. I do not know how yet. But I will do something that is right for me. In the five weeks leading up to Canada Day on July 1st, I should focus on reading a few books that Canadian authors wrote. I will think of something. I am sure that I can pull five books off my bookshelf.
Benefits of Celebrating
You position yourself as a winner, and success builds on success.- It slows you down, giving you enough time to recharge your internal batteries, so you are ready for the next project.
- It inspires you to work toward even greater achievements. Training ground for larger goals.
- When you celebrate your accomplishments, reviewing your progress, you discover many lessons in the process.
- It is a subtle way to self-promote, so others know about your accomplishments. You can teach others what you have learned, so they too can benefit. I blogged about working on my non-degree liberal arts training. But looking back, others could have learned so much more from me.
- It allows you to experience success.
- It is a way to be a part of something bigger than you.
Canada 150 Anniversary Celebration: One Gesture to Celebrate
For many years, I told myself that I did not have one creative bone in my body. I was the product of a subjective definition of what it means to be creative. I would try hard in art classes in high school, but would get no higher that a sixty-five percent grade. Years later, I discovered that I was creative, because I was around the right people.
Below I have designed some Canada 150 Birthday Mugs. I would love it if you bought one or two. If you choose to do so, please click on the image and it will take you where you can buy the mug. They are plain white coffee mugs with word images on them.
And not to forget the books and other stuff!
The Colour of Canada: With an Introduction by Roy MacGregor
Canada 150 Colouring BookThe OrendaThe Book of Negroes: A Novel (Movie Tie-in Edition) (Movie Tie-in Editions)CANADA 150 Year Anniversary 1867 – 2017 RED 3 x 5 Feet Flag Banner .. Great Quality .. NewThe Gutenberg Galaxy (The Canada 150 Collection)
