I have 4 weeks off each year (annual leave). At least 2 weeks of my annual leave become my annual overseas holiday because I like acknowledging the effort that I’ve made and celebrating the success I’ve achieved regularly. Therefore, travel is my celebration. In our culture, most people focus on taking action continuously – they always do more and more; they always look at the next project. But when it comes to celebrating what we’ve achieved, it’s oftentimes not most people’s priority. However, I would argue that acknowledging our effort and celebrating our success should be just as important as the process of achieving goals.
- The importance of appreciation and gratitude:
Every day when I wake up in the morning, I feel grateful for the cotton sheets that I have and the delicious breakfast that I can eat. I think gratitude is paramount because it brings more abundance to my life.
I appreciate every opportunity that has helped me to achieve my goals. I appreciate everyone that has supported me along the way. I appreciate the time that I’ve had to make my dreams come true.
In a way, appreciation is even more powerful than gratitude because gratitude is based on having something good in life, whereas appreciation is about noticing what’s good in this world. That’s why I also appreciate my colleagues’ amazing sense of fashion, even though what they wear doesn’t make me look better.
Indeed, appreciation puts me in a more positive headspace.
Because appreciation and gratitude are very important to me, whenever I achieve a goal, I write a journal entry about how that makes me feel. I also make plans to travel in order to celebrate the achievement.
- How to celebrate:
After achieving a goal, instead of looking at the next goal immediately, I choose to celebrate by having an overseas holiday. Perhaps some people like buying something nice as a celebration, but I personally prefer experiences rather than material possessions.
If buying something amazing makes you feel fabulous, that’s totally fine. I don’t judge that. Actually, I think you should do what’s right for you. I’m just saying my personal favorite celebration is experiences, e.g., travel, going out for dinner, going to the movies, attending concerts, etc.
Yes, experiences make me happy. I like accumulating more and more meaningful experiences.
“Right now I’m planning to have the next overseas holiday, so the anticipation makes me feel very motivated every day!”
