The importance of celebrating life’s milestones

Are you celebrating any milestones this month? June is often a month where there are many milestones including graduations and weddings. We’ve had an anniversary, several birthdays and a graduation recently. This got us thinking more about milestones – what they are, why it’s important to celebrate them and how people choose to celebrate.

So first, what is a milestone? The dictionary says that a milestone is “an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development”. Whether a milestone is “big” or “small’, depends on the meaning that’s attached to it. For example, milestones could be birthdays, achievements or even a baby’s first steps.

Why is it important to celebrate milestones? It’s good to note the growth, progress and accomplishments that can influence people’s lives. Milestones can be a sign of triumph over challenges and can contribute to developing healthy self-esteem. Anniversaries remind partners of the struggles they’ve overcome and the fun they’ve shared. The importance of commitment can be valued not only by each partner, but also by friends and family. Celebrating milestones isn’t just about having a party, it’s a way to show people that they matter and that their lives have meaning to others. Celebrating together can provide a way to create good memories.

How people celebrate milestones varies. You can even celebrate your own triumphs and milestones. Oprah Winfrey says, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
Also, people connect in community for common celebrations. Multiple generations of family often come together to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. These occasions are a chance to model for younger generations that dedication and perseverance are matters to be recognized and celebrated.

In the workplace, milestones are often celebrated for good service or reaching goals. Milestones are also celebrated in local, state and national communities. July 4 is one example of a national celebration. We even have world celebrations such as Earth Day.

Recognizing milestones gives us a chance as individuals and as communities, to not only look back and celebrate what it took to get to this point, it also gives us a chance to peer into the future and plan for what’s next. Celebrating milestones is an opportunity to think how, going forward, we can best serve ourselves, each other and our communities.

We talked to Julie Halvorson at Lake Ann after she had just completed swimming across Lake Ann and back. She told us about a couple of her important milestones and what they mean to her. She said, “I have completed three Iron Mans. [An Iron Man is] a triathlon that’s a 2.4mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and then a marathon [26.2 mile run] at the end of it – all in one day. So, I’ve done three of those and I’m training for another one this year.” We asked what that felt like and what it meant to her. “It’s quite the accomplishment, you know, because you are going all day long. I’m kind of slow so it takes me almost the full 17 hours. I think my fastest was 16 hours and 23 minutes last year. You’re just constantly going all day long, but the adrenaline kicks in. I personally do it for a cause, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I raise money for them. Along with training and doing the endurance events, it all builds up to one day towards the end of the year where I do the event. So, it’s pretty cool crossing the finish line and hearing ‘Julie Halvorson, you are an Iron Man!’” Julie celebrates her efforts for a very good cause. She also shared another milestone. Julie said, “I am turning 60 this year, so this could be it but I’ll probably keep doing it until I can’t do it anymore.” We told Julie that we thought she was pretty amazing!
What about you? What milestones are you celebrating?

Here’s a challenge: Take stock of the milestones you already celebrate and also some that you might want to add to your life. Why are these milestones important to you? How do you want to celebrate them and who will be included in your celebrations? We encourage you to document your milestone celebrations with pictures and videos as well as writing something about it so you can look back and relive it. Nelson Mandela said, “Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.” Celebrating milestones will provide good memories that you can keep forever and build on in the years to come.

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2018 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.