CELEBRATE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME

You are free to celebrate how far you have come, even if you still have a long way to go. You do not have to wait to graduate or make it to the next step in order to have deeply rooted gratitude for where you are right now.

You have worked so hard. You have given so much. And the things you’re pouring your heart into are worthy of not being overlooked. Even if you feel overlooked by others, you can still make the decision to not overlook yourself. You can still take an extra few moments today to imagine how you’re going to feel when you finally make it to the next step, and then, allow yourself to begin to feel that way now.

Can you imagine yourself feeling accomplished or relieved ten years from now? Even if it’s a fleeting thought that only crosses your mind from time to time, can you imagine what it’s going to feel like when you’re finally further down the line? When you can finally hold that degree in your hand, or you’ve reached a milestone in your career? Can you imagine what it will feel like to be further down the road in your recovery?

There’s no way of knowing exactly what it’s going to be like from this point to the next point. There’s no way of seeing the highs and lows and all of the messiness that comes with making progress and moving forward. But you can know this: when you start to think about what it’s going to feel like when you finally arrive where you want to be, you are free to begin exploring what it means to feel that way now.

If you are imagining you will experience joy, you are free to experience that joy now. If you are imagining you will experience peace, you are free to experience peace now. You might not feel you are worthy of feeling this way because of all the things that are still out of place, but all by grace, you are free to slow down and celebrate where you are.

Think about your birthday. Every year it comes around, and every year, there’s always a possibility of something that might make it harder to celebrate:

Maybe you’re not where you want to be with your career.
Maybe your health has presented challenges that prevent you from doing the things you used to.
Perhaps someone who was in your life on your last birthday isn’t there this year.

Whether you want to celebrate your birthday in a big way or not on the day it arrives, it still represents a milestone you have reached. It still serves as a reminder that through all of the things that have changed and stayed the same, you have still grown. You have still made it another year. And amidst the highs and lows of it all, that is worth being grateful for.

Allow yourself to think about today in this way. You might not be ready to throw a party for where you are right now, but it is worth it to acknowledge that you made it another day. The work you’re putting in is not in vain. Everyday you choose to show up with gratitude right here in your current state is a day that the seeds you are sowing in this season will continue to grow in a healthy way.

More in this week's series called "Here's to Embracing the Process", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.

More tomorrow…
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols