Over Celebration
...check yes or no...
Last Saturday Beau scored his first ever touchdown and the game winning one, at that.
He plays tackle football and was previously on a league that made him an X player for size and weight. This new league is the wild Wild West and now Beau plays O line, D line and wide receiver!! He has never been allowed to “touch” the football during a game so to say this was a monumental moment is an understatement.
You probably knew this but there is a penalty given for OVER CELEBRATING a touchdown.
I find it offensive.
Okay fine - we don’t need to be out here encouraging kids or grown men in tights to boast and be douchebags. That’s the last thing we need. Howeverrrr in Beau’s defense he “spiked the ball” which for him was just throwing it down so he could chest bump his teammates whose literal heads only come up to his chest.
BUT OVER CELEBRATING?!? IS THAT THE PROBLEM?!? …maybe…
In the real world I think what we could use is A LOT more celebration. There is certainly so much to be grateful, excited, celebratory about. That being said, the journey must be celebrated first. Beau has dreamed of making a touchdown. We’ve talked about it. He’s practiced the routes. He’s caught my “mom-spirals” which are extra points bc they are super unpredictable. He has embraced mini celebrations along the way which is apparently vitally important for the moments of ELEVATED celebration aka “the touchdown”. There is light positive feedback for these actions, choices, decisions and within that feedback his nervous system is learning.
The journey or the pursuit is your chance to keep the good vibes comin’.
So what if I made this decision, I suffered this injury, this life event happened and then it all went to sh*t? I hear this (and have lived this) enough times to know that a perspective shift is necessary.
Yes, life blindsided you and now there is an opportunity to practice continued pursuit with a side of celebration.
Please wrap yourself in a comfort blanket as I say this: You gotta be strategic with your celebrations. As this clip from Huberman states, you cannot OVER celebrate because in doing so you create a deficit of a dopamine spike that backfires and lowers your baseline over time. The clip explains that celebrating SOME wins is incredibly valuable but you can’t celebrate them all. When you achieve the big goal, the dopamine crash is that much lower.
This applies to the hard work of fitness in so many ways.
This is also tough for me because my general nature is that of celebration.
I’m ready for the GOOD TIME OKKKAAAYYY.
It’s also a crutch that I must look out for because there will be/have been times where my ass needs to get out of my own way to remember a few things:
I’m moving toward entropy. Age is real. The way I wanna feel is 100% determined by my choices. The AGELESS feeling is mine for the taking! The fingers all point back to this adorable bozo right here.
There is no quick fix. The pill, the injection, the surgery move the needle and always at a cost because unless you’re super-alien-special, there is a consequence to not creating adaptation over time. Alternatively, there is a deposit for the mental work, physical work, and spiritual work you engage in intentionally.
It starts and stops with me. I can ‘lightly’ celebrate, observe, and celebrate again.
Nothing feels as good as reaching a goal or achieving a milestone that means something to you. Until you’ve experienced this you can write me off time and time again. It’s easy to do. What is not easy is doing the damn work, observing improvement, celebrating modestly, and learning about your true nature along the way.
I don’t foresee a touchdown in my future but the joy of watching my son experience his was better than I could imagine.
Celebration earned and received.
OKAYILOVEYOUBYEEE,
xx
Nic.
ps. * Tuesday QUICKIE YOGA 12-12:30pm pst. $10. A well rounded music based mobility focused yoga flow. This was created as a community class and if you ever need financial assistance to attend - please just reach out or use code NEWFRIEND to try a class for free. Sign up here.
* Saturday AVIATOR NATION YOGA FLOW 9-10am, 10:15-11:15am. In person, in Santa Monica. Come on out. Sign up here.
* Sunday AVIATOR NATION YOGA FLOW. 10:45-11:45am. In person, in Santa Monica. Come on out. Sign up here.
pps. SEPTEMBER FIT IS HERE!! I’ve missed my people and stoked to see some new faces all signed up and ready to party. I wanted to share some testimonials if you’re still on the fence. Also, fence riding is so uncomfortable - just join us already.
“Nicole’s energy speaks to me day in and day out. Who knew a monthly fit program would alter my mind, body, & soul. Nicole’s old soul, fiery banter, and exquisite taste in music is something I genuinely look forward to.” - GV
“Here are 3 undeniable shifts I’ve noticed since joining this group 3 months ago…1) Fitbit says my resting heart rate has lowered. Looking at the year to date trending it’s clear to see it is lower when I’m regularly working out vs not. 2) I feel super strong in half moon pose. 3) I’m increasingly becoming a SWEAT MACHINE. There’s been so many other little shifts that are culminating as well. Grateful for Nicole and this group!” - KK
“I spent August feeling stronger than ever before and feeling good in my skin. Last weekend, someone took a photo of me and first thing I thought was “wow, my arms look so strong!” I feel like I have so many female friends who hate their arms and here I am loving my strong arms and not obsessing about what they’ll look like in a tank top. August Fit and the full year of the programs with Nicole has given me the perfect plan where I actually, consistently show up for myself. The only thing better than loving my arms is the pride I have that I was the one who showed up and did the work!” - JGC
Learn more here or just sign up and I’ll see you Friday for our Welcome Party.
ppps. . EPISODE 37 of SHOCK AND YALL IS OUT NOW with viral sensation, published author, parenting expert and therapist JENNIFER KOLARI. I stalked her after watching this clip and she kindly agreed to come on and discuss ALL THINGS PARENTING. She has the most profound way of explaining how to regulate yourself and your child. If you have kids this is a must listen. If you were a kid at one point in life, this is a must listen. The wisdom is steep and more importantly the “role playing” on my part is 5 stars. LOL. Please don’t miss this one. In the meantime, watch this clip and LMK what you think…
OH WAIT. You’re still here … could you, would you, pretty please leave us a review on Apple podcasts. Just click this link, scroll to the bottom to leave your thoughts and “stars” and I’ll send you an energetic HIGH FIVE along with my sincere appreciation.