Micro-callings #4: Why We Celebrate

And why we don't

This is part 4/4 of a series on micro-callings. It might seem weird to end with a post about celebrations, so let me explain.

What we celebrate is usually not as important as why we celebrate.

That’s where micro-callings intersect with celebrations in our life and writing life.

If we choose to celebrate a chapter finally finished or a book contract landed, we’re not celebrating That Thing so much as we are celebrating the reason behind it; it’s the hard work we value, the Imposter Syndrome we kicked to the curb, the constant distraction we overcame and the words on the page we finally finessed.

The why behind the things we celebrate is what matters most, not the height of achievement.

Equally important is why we choose not to celebrate.

We don’t celebrate that contract we lost.

We don’t celebrate the day we gave up on the novel.

We don’t celebrate the rejection letter… again.

But, I propose these are worthy of celebrating because the “why” behind them hasn’t changed.

You still worked hard to finish the book proposal.

You still did your homework, learned a ton, and grew into a much more well-educated writer because of your experience submitting a book proposal or writing a novel than having never written at all.

You still found the courage to let someone else read your poem.

You still tried a new recipe, encouraged someone outside your comfort zone, or gave up a habit you know doesn’t serve you in your current season. Even if you didn’t give it up for good. You gave it another try.

Why Trying Is as Good as Winning, Maybe Better

I know we live in the land of everyone-gets-a-trophy, and that is NOT what I’m saying here.

There is a place for winners in the winner circle. (Who saw the Olympics?) Those Olympians deserve to stand on the podium with a medal around their necks. They got the goal they set out to get, or at least close to it.

I’m also saying the athletes who sat on the sidelines, were the alternates to the team, or didn’t medal because of a fall were no less valuable than those who scored big on that particular day.

They still showed up. Worked hard. Probably learned something about themselves even in the not winning.

Trying and not achieving does two things:

1. It makes the day you achieve Your Medal much sweeter.

2. It teaches you how to approach life (and goals) from a perspective you can live with.

When we don’t get what we aim for on the first try, we have to dig deeper, soul-search, and even, sometimes, Pity Party with friends. The celebrating becomes a process and a metaphor for approaching a life that can ebb and flow, have hard times and good times, and deliver the unexpected when we least expect it.

So, as fun as it is to celebrate what we love to celebrate, it’s equally helpful to learn from the occasions we wouldn’t ordinarily celebrate.

Let’s Cheer Big for Little Victories

This process is why little celebrations can be part of micro-callings’ rhythms. How do we know we've made it when we are called to live a certain way?

Is it when we reach our destination?

Surely not.

If we wait until the proverbial end of the rainbow to cheer ourselves and others along, we will be waiting a long time. Let’s agree not to do that.

Instead, let’s

• Cheer for a friend when she completes half a day of her social media fast. (She tried and scored a half-day without digital interruption—that’s a win!)

• Congratulate our kids when they finish part of an essay. Sure, they still have the rest to go, but they’ll get there quicker and more focused now that part of it is done.

• Credit ourselves when we wrap up 3/4 of the proposal or almost finish the presentation. It means we’ve been working hard to get to the end, and it’s okay to take a break.

• Calendarize a get-together with friends just because, not for a birthday or reunion. If we don’t treat our friends with the celebratory composure we’re building in our own lives, they may not get to see the best of us. Sure, it means they may not miss the worst of us, either, but that’s okay. Friends are ideally situated in our lives to go through the process with us. That means our lives don’t need to look “just so” before we let them in.

• Collaborate when we aren’t ready. Look at those around you and decide who you look up to. Instead of comparing yourself, try to collaborate. (Even if the other writer/actor/editor/publishing imprint is a Big Fish and you’re a tiny fish in a small pond, what can you do to collab where they’ll probably never notice? Can you share a post? Can you link to a podcast they recorded?) Just because you don’t think you’re ready doesn’t mean God may feel the same. (Remember how we started this series? “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord in Isaiah 55:8.)

So, let’s end with a comment on celebrations. Go for it. Toot your own horn, share something you did or didn’t achieve that we can cheer you on about, and encourage someone else here. Start small and aim big. I’ll meet you in the comment section.

Here’s my celebration: I’m not finished unpacking everything yet, but I’ve been working hard on unpacking my office and gym since we moved to a new city.

This is the in-process photo.

This is the almost-done photo. (Still a few things to hang and I need to add something to that top left space on the shelf.)

View from the car window in our new town.

Update since I wrote this:

The office is finished… but then I found two more boxes placed in the wrong room by our movers. I dutifully took them to my office and left them on the floor, where they still sit a week later. So, now it’s unfinished again. (Isn’t that just like Life?)