Some of the key life events that we go through require celebration. When you get married, you know there’s going to be a party. When you have a baby, you know that everybody around you is going to be excited about that. Some of those key life events out there defy us, and they make us who we are.
And while everyone experiences unique and personal milestones, there are also some that everybody has in common that we should all be sharing. For example, getting your first ever car after you’ve passed your test requires you to celebrate with personalised number plates making sure that you graduate. High school should be celebrated with more than just a graduation cap and gown. There are certain things that you should consider celebrating, and we’ve put down the list of life milestones that you should cheer yourself on.
You’ve been born. Congratulations. It may seem very weird to celebrate your own birth or consider it a milestone, but is in fact the very first milestone you ever make. You arrived on this planet and so we celebrate your life every single year with cake presents, balloons, and streamers. Lots of parents enjoy telling and retelling the birth story of their child, and it becomes so often that it can start to feel like your own memory.
When you learn to walk and talk. This is probably a milestone that you don’t really remember much of, but it is a milestone that does count. Learning to walk and talk is a celebration, and you can guarantee that the adults in your life at that point would have been celebrating massively. Generally we walk a talk by the age of two, so you may not remember celebrating it.
When you start school. A big life milestone to celebrate is when you start school. But consider this at any level. When you start school for the first time, your parents celebrate you. When you start high school, your parents celebrate you. But when you get into college and you move into higher education, you should be celebrating yourself. The milestone celebration doesn’t just happen at the end when you graduate back at the beginning. Even getting started should be celebrated.
When you first experience failure. There are some memories we don’t like to celebrate, but a milestone of experiencing failure in your life. It should be something you celebrate too. You can’t learn from successes all of the time. Success teaches you that you got to the end of the road, but failure teaches you where you made any mistakes, and it teaches you what you need to know for next time. If you consider this to be an exciting milestone, you’re going to thrive.
When a pet dies. Nobody would think about why you would celebrate this, because it’s a grieving period in life. But many children first experience the pain of loss when their beloved pets pass away. It’s a tragedy, and some parents cover that up by saying that the animal was given away or that they ran away. Losing a pet for the first time is likely something you will never forget, whether it’s a rabbit, a family dog or a goldfish.
When you find something you’re excellent at. You should definitely celebrate this as a lifetime milestone, because you will never forget the first time you find something that you’re good at. When you discover that you have a talent for something to the point where you could monetise it or make it, your life is exciting. Not only will you be able to develop new skills and join new social groups, but you’re going to be able to carry this throughout your childhood and into adulthood.It doesn’t matter what your skill set may be, finding out that you’re naturally talented in something is an exciting prospect. It’s something that you can carry with you for the rest of your life.
When you learn to drive. Having the bravery to get behind the wheel of a machine and drive it around other people doing the same thing is a huge milestone. Passing your test, buying your first car and getting your first set of number plates is something that everybody should do at least once. Once you have your driver’s license, you feel a sense of freedom that you would never have had before.It’s a first step towards adult independence and if you never had the chance to learn to drive as a child, then you’ll feel that same independent feeling when you’re an adult.
When you move out for the first time. Whether you’re moving out to college or in or with friends, moving out is a huge milestone. You might leave home as soon as you possibly can, or you might wait to save some money and buy your own house. Eventually, you’ll move out and live somewhere that is away from your parents, so you have to be self-sufficient for the first time. And doing so is a hugely momentous occasion that you should be excited by. You might remember the homesickness that you first felt on the first night that you were away, but you will always remember the support that you got from those around you.
When you cash your first paycheck. This type of milestone isn’t an exciting one. It’s a big step towards independence. It’s the first time you may have had that much money in one place at one time, and while you may not remember opening the envelope or even opening your bank account to see the payment for the first time, you will remember the excited feeling you get when you get to buy your first item with money that you have truly earned.
These life milestones are all ones that you should celebrate. So if you haven’t already, start looking at the things that you can celebrate now, and start celebrating them when you can.
This is a collaborative post.
