What We Celebrate, We Strengthen

Read Time: 3 minutes

I’ve recently been refocusing on growing Groundwork after some devastating life events forced me to slow down last year. At the time, I was on a roll—until a fall shattered a disk in my lower back and brought everything to a halt. Sometimes life does that. It forces us onto roads we never intended to travel.

Life became so challenging that every day turned into a fight to heal. I had to learn to slow down more than ever before and celebrate the smallest victories: walking to the bathroom, feeling a brief moment of stillness in my body, glimpsing the possibility of strength again.

What surprised me was how much celebrating the tiniest milestones changed everything. In moments when it felt impossible to imagine recovery, celebration gave me resilience. It helped me emerge from the ordeal more self-aware, more strong-willed, and more certain that I could weather truly difficult moments.

Celebration is essential because it reminds us to appreciate what’s working. It roots us in the present. It shifts us out of survival mode into a state where we can feel the basic goodness of life.

Now, as I get back on my feet, I see more clearly the fruits of my labor precisely because I’ve learned to honor small victories. I focus on what’s working instead of obsessing about a future I’ll never control. I work with what’s here, now.

And right now, there is so much to celebrate. Recently, I had the privilege of completing a Groundwork training for Vaapsi, an addiction recovery centre serving Punjabi Sikh men. I also led a training for a construction company in Revelstoke that is building beautiful homes while working to build stronger team foundations. I’ve been supporting the founder of Ensaaf, whose team documents and tracks unlawful killings in India—an organization whose courage and precision leave me deeply inspired. And soon, I’ll be training with a community-based medical team that is serving people on the frontlines of health care.

Each of these experiences reminds me why celebration is so necessary. They are reminders that even in times of personal setback, life keeps offering opportunities to contribute, to grow, and to witness resilience in others.

Celebration often begins in the subtle, unobvious moments of daily life—the parts we usually overlook. Groundwork teaches us to notice those moments, to acknowledge what’s working, and to fall in love with the process of getting things done.

After last year, this practice is non-negotiable for me. I cannot imagine a life without celebration. My hope is that you, too, find ways to celebrate your accomplishments—big or small—and recognize the progress you make each day.