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As we celebrate philosophy’s 17^th anniversary with QVC, I’m reminded of a lifestyle decision that I made almost forty years ago:  to celebrate each day that I am fortunate enough to be on this earth.  It has been a lifelong discipline that I have practiced since June of 1977.  In good times, it’s easy to do. After many years of practice, I’m proud to share that I can even find a cause for celebration when the going gets tough.  After all, no one, including me, is immune to hardship and I’ve found that this attitude of celebration has given me surprising levels of strength, resilience and hope in times that I have needed it most.

My philosophy colleagues and I are so happy to celebrate 17 years of philosophy with you this month.

How did this celebration mentality become a foundational building block of who I am?  Through loss.  On the eve of our sixteenth birthdays, I lost my best friend in a tragic accident.  Shortly afterward, her mother sent me a beautiful note asking me to “love each day” as a tribute to her daughter’s life.  From that day forward, love each day is on the top of my to-do list.  You’ll never hear me say that I “have to do” something.  Instead, I readily acknowledge that I “get to do” it.  That one simple paradigm shift has changed my perspective on everything.

On vacation, I ran into this street mural in Venice, CA.  It reminded me of my pledge to love each day.

Because everyone celebrates differently, I will not even begin to recommend how you face your days with an attitude of celebration.  I’ll simply share the five key daily disciplines I practice, without fail, 99.9% of the time.  All allow me to infuse a sense of joy, festivity and possibility into even the most challenging and stressful days.

The Top 5 Ways  I Make Every Day A Celebration:

1. Acknowledge people who have something to celebrate:  First thing every day when I wake up, I check my personal facebook events for birthdays of family and friends.  I post a message and select a particularly beautiful photograph, letting each person know how happy I am that they were born.  Throughout the day, I continue to place calls/texts to friends and family who are celebrating something in their lives, from passing a test to welcoming a new family member. This provides not only a sense of joy and connection in my day but also infuses energy into my professional and personal pursuits.

Even though my lifelong friend, Melissa, and I live in different states, we make it a point to stay in close touch by always celebrating the big and small events in our lives

2. Start the day with a philosophy shower gel and just add water.  I’m sure that this daily discipline doesn’t surprise you in the least.  Every day, no matter where I am, I select a philosophy shower gel and let myself fully enjoy the experience, whether I select a fine fragrance or one of our gourmet scents.  At home, I maintain quite a “shower pantry” which provides a non-stop source of festivity to everyone in our household whether it’s a Monday or a Saturday.  When I begin the day with a moment of self-care, it infuses my spirit with joy. Interestingly enough, I continue to look for more opportunities to do more of the same throughout the next twelve hours.

I often serve up new shower gels and body products in the kitchen, allowing every family member to select his/her favorites so they can stock their own shower pantry

3. Blatantly create opportunities for festivity:  I plan at least one thing to celebrate each day.  Once you find one occasion, you will naturally identify many others, especially if you are looking for them.  This habit has taught me to look for what’s right in both people and situations.  I’m always thinking about how I can add festivity to ordinary situations.  One of my favorite things is to place fresh flowers around the house or to set the table for dinner (even if its takeout) with the good china, silver and crystal.  It can be as simple as giving my son a hug for being a gentleman because he held the car door open for his prom date or complimenting my local fishmonger on finding the perfect salmon filet.  It can be organizing an impromptu “welcome to the neighborhood” party for a dear friend who is going through a divorce and starting anew in my city.  This behavior enhances connections between me and other people, putting everyone in a celebratory mood, and, hopefully, multiplying the celebrations when many of them decide to pay it forward.

You can instantly add a feeling of celebration by using your best dishes and putting candles and flowers on the table.

4. Spend at least 30 minutes a day appreciating nature. For those of you who follow me on social media, you know that every day, wherever I am, I take a walk focusing only on nature.  I can bring my phone but it can only be used to snap photos of the beauty that surrounds me.  It literally means taking time to stop and smell the roses…or marvel at the beauty of a bougainvillea bush, or a tremendous tree trunk or a happy family of quail crossing the road.  No music on my headphones.  No talking on the phone.  I return to my home or hotel, uplifted, happy, energetic and grateful.  As one of my favorite song says: “and I think to myself…what a wonderful world.”

I came upon this honeysuckle entwined in a fence walking through West Chester last weekend.  #2; right: Our English lab, Brooks, loves to accompany me on nature walks.  His enthusiasm always rubs off on me.

5. Always have something to look forward to.  On my to-do list each day are at least one or two things that I am looking forward to doing that day.  They are a priority and I never fail to do them.  Reserving 30 minutes at the end of the day to read a new book with a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade is just one example of what this simple practice looks like.

Celebrating each day is a conscious choice.  For me, it has added color and joy to my life.  Remember:

May you love each day.

With grace and gratitude,

Heidi

Heidi Guest has been a cosmetic executive for over 25 years. Today, she is the On-Air Media Spokesperson for philosophy, a lifestyle brand that focuses on causes benefiting the mental health and well-being of women. Married to her college sweetheart for the past 29 years, Heidi is the proud mother of Caitlin, 23, and Nicholas, 17. A San Francisco native, who has lived with her family in the New York metropolitan area for many years, Heidi and her family currently live in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Active in local and national philanthropic efforts that support women, children and families, Heidi's greatest passion is helping others live into their full potential both personally and professionally.