Fat? Broke? Purposeless? Alone? It’s Party Time!

Are you happy with where you’re at in life? If not, have you ever been happy with where you’re at in life? I don’t know about you, but I often find that I’m looking for the next thing and then I’ll be happy, then I’ll celebrate. Sometime in the last year I realized that things are really good right now, and if I keep trying to reach some mystical point in the future when all is well, I’m going to miss enjoying most of my life. Celebration is my theme for July (read about the new theme thing here) – so today I invite you to join me in celebrating exactly where you are, right now.

Step #1
Pick an area of your life that you’re not happy with, that you’ve been wanting to change and thinking things will improve once you do so. If you don’t have one of those, pick an area of your life that you’re tolerating. (If you don’t have one of those, you’ve already stopped reading this!) My example for this post is that I have accumulated $42,000 in credit card debt.

Step #2
Declare that starting now and forever after, you are going to celebrate that area of your life, exactly as it is. (Woot for debt!)

Step #3
Evaluate your reaction to step #2 – did you get an instant panic? A hell no? A feeling of lightness? When the idea for this post popped into my mind and I decided to celebrate my debt, I instantly felt joyful. Why? Because it means I get to celebrate all the amazing things related to having amassed this debt. Just note how you’re feeling, and move on to the next step.

Step #4
Reassure yourself that celebrating something doesn’t mean that it’s permanent. If this was not something you wanted to change, you wouldn’t have to go through this at all – you’d be ignoring it.

“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”
– Nathaniel Branden

I suggest that the next step towards change is celebration.  From a place of celebrating my debt, I’m feeling way better about paying it off – and am going to celebrate that just as much.

If you are still scared, try out the phrase, “It’s so awesome that I have this issue, because solving it is going to be so much fun.”

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / freedigitalphotos.net

Step #5
Brainstorm reasons to celebrate your issue. I’ve created a handy printout for you to do just that – it’s here if you’d like to get it and follow along. Here’s some questions to get you started:

• What has this issue enabled me to do in my life?
• What kind of experiences have I had due to having this issue?
• What kind of skills have I developed due to having this issue?
• Who have I been able to help due to this issue?
• What kinds of skills and experiences might I get while solving this issue?
• What kind of connections might I make because of this issue?

Step #6
If you still can’t celebrate it, pretend it is the person you love the most and it is their issue. They are stuck and feeling horrible about this issue – how would you help them celebrate?

Step #7
Write out a thank you card to your issue, celebrating it for everything that it has brought to your life. Mine sounds like this:

Dear Debt,

Thank you so much for being here for me! I’m stunned that creditors have entrusted me with so much money, and honored that they know I am good for it. You have allowed me to do so many amazing things – quit my job, travel to Africa, buy clothes in Paris, celebrate so many special occasions with amazing people, and I’m so grateful for the chance to experience these things. I feel so much gratitude that you are here and showing me where my energy with money is out of alignment, teaching me how to negotiate with banks for better interest rates, calculating how I can shave off a month off my total repayment plan.

Thank you for teaching me to budget, to learn how to plan grocery trips, to become conscious of money earned and spent. Thank you for teaching me the value of cash! You’ve even helped me to arrange my trips to the gas station more efficiently! Thank you for sending me on another amazing path of learning. Thank you for teaching me how to sell off excess stuff and inspiring four different business ideas! Thank you for making me an entrepreneur! Thank you for the opportunity to pitch my mother with a business deal that we’re both excited to try!

Thank you for the ability to talk with my clients about money with absolutely no fear and the ability to relate to exactly what they are going through. Thank you for helping me look at my own shame, so I can help them see past theirs. Thank your for helping me to take a clear look at myself and embrace where I am and where I want to be. Getting there is going to be so much fun. Getting here has been so much fun!

With huge love,

Liz

Step #8
Next time you find yourself grumbling about your issue, pull out the card and read it!

Bonus Steps
Throw an “Issue Party” in celebration of all the awesome things about your issue. Invite your friends to do the process too and read your thank you letters out loud. Or create a celebration ritual that allows you to honor this part of your life.

What do you plan to do? Let us know in the comments!