This is the 5th (and probably final) post in my New Year series. And today I want to talk about the importance of taking time to celebrate.

As a society, we love to celebrate. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, births, and more. We celebrate the big things. We also celebrate little things (like completing a reading challenge). There are entire businesses built around celebrating.

It’s important to celebrate. Big or little. By savoring the good times, we cement that positive moment as a memory, a memory that can provide us positive energy for when times get hard.

Celebrations also give us something to look forward to and a reason to keep pushing forward. Who doesn’t love seeing children at Christmastime counting down to Christmas Eve and the arrival of Santa Claus?

And that anticipation of a forthcoming celebration injects optimism into our lives. Even anticipating a small celebration, like lunch with old friends, makes the day just a bit brighter and go a bit smoother.

And so today, I celebrate my birthday.

Birthdays have always been important to me. It’s important to me to celebrate birthdays (and not just mine). For me, it’s important to applaud being alive. To rejoice in another year. To jubilate in oneself for a day.

Birthdays allow us to celebrate yourself and that’s important. We, especially women, don’t take enough time to celebrate ourselves. You make a difference to others (I guarantee you do), so take a moment to allow them to celebrate you. Don’t worry about the number. Just revel in the celebration!

Even when I’m having a tough year or hard time, I try to do something celebratory for my birthday. In fact, when times are tough, it’s even more important to celebrate.

Celebrating allows me to remember that I do have a lot to be thankful for.

This week, for example, I received birthday wishes from friends around the world. No matter how someone wished it (cards, emails, social media), the fact that they remembered me and took the time to say “Happy Birthday” means more than I can express.

And on this cold, snowy winter day on what’s been a rather tough and disheartening month, their warm wishes mean that much more.

Take time to celebrate.

A celebration doesn’t have to be a big fancy ordeal. Just take a moment to acknowledge that you are worth celebrating. That you have accomplished something. Then take a few minutes to celebrate that.

Make a toast, eat something special, light a candle, sing or dance like no one’s watching. Do something to make it just a bit special and outside your normal routine.

By celebrating, you are not only injecting positive energy into yourself, you’re spreading it out in the world. And goodness knows the world could use more positive energy. We need to see the good. And celebrations are one way to spread the good.

As for me, I’ll be celebrating my birthday tonight by having a slice of red velvet cake and making a toast to another fabulous year.

What is something you could celebrate this week/month/year? Share your upcoming celebrations, big or small, in the comments below.