Look, gratitude is great and all — and yes, we need it. But if I’m being real, I feel like a lot of us Latinos were raised on gratitude. We were taught to be thankful, to say thank you, to appreciate what we have. (And yes, I know I’m making a huge generalization here — don’t come for me. 😅)

My point is this: when I used gratitude as a coaching tool with my clients, it often landed with a “Right, I’m always thankful!” vibe. Which is true! We are thankful. But it also made me realize that what we’re often missing isn’t gratitude — it’s celebration. 🎉 We are naturally grateful people. It’s in our DNA, our culture, our upbringing. But sometimes that deep conditioning can lead us into self-minimizing. We downplay our wins, our effort, our growth — because being “grateful” becomes the default.

So I stopped pushing gratitude... and started teaching celebration. 🎉

Why Celebration Hits Different

Celebration broadens our perspective. It invites us to honor everything — the good, the bad, and the beautifully messy in-between. Because that’s life, right? It all co-exists.

You can be grateful for your life AND be tired.
Grateful AND annoyed.
You can even feel joy AND frustration in the same breath.
You can be thankful for the lesson and still wish it didn’t hurt so much.

Gratitude says, thank you for what is.
Celebration says, look at me growing through what is.

So this season of gratitude, go ahead and say your thank-yous — because we are thankful. And if you feel up for it, kick it up a notch and celebrate.

What does that mean???

Well..Celebration can look like whatever YOU WANT.

It doesn’t have to be fireworks or a big trip. It can look like:
🎈 Buying that nice dress and wearing it for no reason.
🎈 Asking for the raise — or even just deciding you deserve it.
🎈 Cleaning out the attic that’s been on your mind for months.
🎈 Choosing peace with your family this holiday (yes, that counts!).
🎈 Saying the hard thing out loud.
🎈 Finally taking a deep breath after getting through a day that tested every ounce of patience in your body.

Every act of courage, honesty, or care is worth celebrating.

If it mattered to you, it’s worth celebrating.

Celebration doesn’t erase the bad. It doesn’t make life suddenly easy or drama-free. But it does build a stronger foundation — one rooted in joy, resilience, and presence.

When we celebrate, we remind ourselves that we’re more than our struggles. That even when life feels like everything everywhere all at once, multiverse-style, we’re still creating pockets of light and love — and maybe even cracking a smile. :)

So I celebrate you.
I celebrate myself.
I celebrate all of us for hanging on through what has been an absolutely bonkers year.

Let’s keep giving thanks — and start throwing little parties for all the ways we keep showing up.

💛 Happy Season of Celebration, Friends.