If you follow me on the ‘gram, you may have caught a glimpse into a vulnerable moment I shared. This Thanksgiving marked my first time ever since becoming a mama that I didn’t spend the day with any of my babies. It also marked my first holiday in 40 years where I packed my bags and hopped on a solo flight to somewhere other than home or to be with someone else or with a significant other.

Talking about my relationships, heartaches, the good, the bad, the sometimes ugly but always with a beautiful silver lining is something I’ve tried to never shy away from. Being authentic and vulnerable and continuing to show up for myself, for my family, and for you guys has been a priority for me always, but especially the past couple of years.

So what do we do when the road gets rocky? What about when we aren’t reaching our goals whether they be mental, physical, or some combination of both? We celebrate the journey.

I’m not going to lie. Life is tricky. And for me, one of the trickiest parts has been divorce. While I’ve managed to avoid “alone” for almost my entire life, it just wasn’t in the cards for me this year. Both dads had amazing plans for the kids (including travel and a lot of holiday fun), and I definitely wanted them to be able to share those experiences and create those memories. So what did I have to celebrate? This year I celebrated being alone. I celebrated the space aloneness gives me to reflect, sort through my thoughts, connect with my soul and with God, and be reminded just how blessed I truly am to have this life and the people in it.

All of this brings me back to transformation. It can be hard to celebrate yourself when you’re not hitting your goals—those numbers you want to see on the scale. But guess what: Just like how life has fluctuations, our body weight fluctuates too. Relying ONLY on that number on the scale (or in this instance, relying on not being alone) as a way of measuring our progress can actually cause us to feel frustrated and lead us to give up when we don’t see the changes we expect (that darn number on the scale!) quickly enough. Instead, learn to identify and celebrate non-scale victories (NSVs).

Top NSVs to help you celebrate YOU

• Increased energy levels
• Progress with workouts or adventures with your friends + family
• Better sleep
• More time spent doing what you love
• Feeling better
• Learning + using new coping mechanism to get through life

This whole holiday adventure got me thinking… I don’t celebrate these moments enough—moments filled with joy or maybe uncomfortable ones that end up bringing out joy. I don’t celebrate the small victories or even the everyday normal wins or blessings as much as I should.

And I honestly think that’s true for so many of us. We get SO caught up in our work, in our to-do lists, and in our responsibilities, even more so in our children and their lives and activities. And even in the process of working toward something.

Click here to read more about some of my favorite NSVs worth celebrating.

We keep putting one foot in front of the other and marching toward whatever it is ahead of us. But how often do we truly stop to smell the roses and to celebrate where we are and where we’ve been?

So, I challenge you to really think about what you’re thankful for this year outside of what may be seemingly obvious. Dig deep and take a look at yourself. Be thankful for YOU. Be thankful for your voice because it’s unique. Be thankful for the roadblocks because they’ll only make you stronger. And be thankful for your story because it’s one worth telling.

xo,

Related reading:

Show Yourself Some Love: Do Self-Love Mantras Really Work?
Self-Love: Mantras to Help You Fall In Love With Yourself
Transformation 101: What happens when you fall in love with yourself
Life Lessons Learned | Developing Integrity, Learning to Love Yourself, and Setting Boundaries
My Top 5 Ways to Fall In LOVE With Your Body