I begin each of my mastermind calls with celebrations.

I go around to each participant and have them share their celebrations, big or small. Celebrations are fun to share and can inspire everyone in the group, but that’s not the only reason I do them. There is also a deeper component to this practice.

I have been trained in the Beauty Way, a Native American tradition of operating within the Four Directions and Seasons. You may have heard it as The Four Folds Way or The Native American Medicine Wheel. Interestingly, almost every indigenous culture has their version of a Medicine Wheel using the Four Directions and Seasons.

There are many layers to each part of the Medicine Wheel, but I’ll focus on the essence of each Season/Direction as I see it:

Spring/East — new beginnings, ideas, visioning, goal setting

Summer/South — action, execution, movement

Fall/West — reflection, celebration, processing

Winter/North — rest, recharging, healing

In our Western culture, we tend to spend most of our time in the Spring/East and Summer/South. It manifests like this: an idea is born (Spring/East) and we spring into action (Summer/South). Once we’ve completed a task or project, we move right to ”what’s next?” (Spring/East), especially when we are in growth mode.

We simply do not spend enough time in the Fall/West and Winter/North sections of the Medicine Wheel in our culture. Or, the time we do spend in the Fall/West is spent reflecting and processing what went wrong and what we would do differently next time.

When celebration isn’t embedded in our reflection process, we can become overly critical of ourselves, which contributes powerfully to the constant striving and “never enough” attitude that is predominant in our culture today. It can lead to burnout and loss of passion for our work.

This is why I feel it is so important to weave celebration into all of my client calls and why I encourage building in self-care and downtime into our routines.

One final thought: sometimes it can be challenging to find something to celebrate. I often hear clients say, “There isn’t anything to celebrate today. I’ve had a bad week.” There is always something to celebrate if you choose to look for it—even if it’s simply celebrating that we are alive and the sun is shining.

Building a muscle around celebration will enhance your ability to appreciate your life and your business on a greater level.

What would you like to celebrate today about your business? I’d love to hear!

With appreciation,