Life is a Special Occasion

By Gary Douglas

Special occasions. Those events, celebrations and gatherings where you bring out your best china, wear your most expensive clothes and allow yourself to enjoy the elegance of living. What if life could be a special occasion? What if every day could be a celebration and an expression of the elegance of living?

Every day you are breathing really is a special day. Here are my top 3 tips on living life as a celebration, and treating every day as the special occasion that it is:

1. Make each day special

Every day is a gift so celebrate it. A great way to do that is to use or wear one thing each day that is saved for special occasions. Put on the dress that you feel beautiful in. Use the crystal goblets that you bring out for your guests. Enjoy a glass of your favorite wine. Savor a bite of a delectable chocolate. Whatever it is you enjoy, whatever you save for special days or special people, stop saving and start living.

Living life as a special occasion is about joy. How much joy are you willing to have? There’s a quote you may have heard, “Ask and you will receive.” Every day ask what will make your life joyful, and watch how the things that bring joy show up.

2. If you don’t use it, get rid of it

Do you have things in your possession that you never use? Are there items that you keep year after year, telling yourself that one day it will be useful or one day you will need it?

Recent surveys show that western society has a problem with possessions. In fact a large majority of British (79%) and Australian (88%) residents admit to hoarding items they will rarely, or never, use and in the USA, it is estimated that 80% of all stored possessions are never utilized.

Although a large number of items are kept for sentimental reasons, many other possessions remain untouched for years because they are saved for those rare “special occasions”. It is counterintuitive to have one’s most prized possessions locked away out of sight. Either bring those things out and use them or get rid of them. Donate items to charity, gift them to someone who will appreciate them, or sell them for some extra cash.

3. Enjoy the best of everything

When you embrace the idea of life as a special occasion, you allow yourself to enjoy the best of everything. If you are buying a bottle of wine, buy the best one you can afford and savor it. When you are shopping for clothes, look for the textures, colors and styles that create a sense of elegance and vibrancy for you and your body. If you are eating dinner out, don’t just grab fast food; go somewhere you will have great cuisine and an enjoyable experience.

You have to recognize that living life as a special occasion is not about the amount of what you have. It’s not about simply acquiring more things. It’s about recognizing the gift of everything in your life. It’s the place where’d you rather have one bite of something that’s great instead of a hundred bites of something that’s crappy.

Life is a celebration. Every day ask, “If I was living my life as a special occasion, if I was living life as a celebration, what would I choose?” And then choose it.

Your life could end tomorrow. Don’t save the best for the someday that may never come; choose it today.

Gary Douglas is an internationally recognized thought leader, bestselling author, business innovator and founder of Access Consciousness^®, a set of simple-yet-profound tools currently transforming lives in 173 countries. He has authored or co-authored 17 books including the Barnes and Noble #1 bestselling novel, The Place. An avid investor and entrepreneur, Gary is a vocal advocate of Benevolent Capitalism and conscious leadership. He co-hosts a weekly radio on Voice America and has featured in numerous TV shows, print media and online publications around the world. He is renowned for his unique insights on love, relationships, money, business, aging, leadership and emotional freedom. www.accessconsciousness.com.