How long has it been since you threw a party for you? Have you knocked it out of the park lately but no one, but you, noticed?

Throw yourself a party. Seriously, make a list of all the successes you’ve accomplished and throw yourself a party. Don’t wait on someone around you to recognize your accomplishments and pat you on the back, do it yourself.

Celebrating successes are important both for mental and physical health. When you celebrate, those feel-good endorphins are released in your body which causes you to feel great! The opposite is true as well; if you don’t celebrate, over the course of time, your body and mind will suffer burn out.

I’ve had the good fortune to travel to other cultures that party at the drop of a hat. In fact, Cambodia has 28 national holidays; the U.S. has 10. And if you’re anywhere in Latin America, you are invited to parties on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

It makes me wonder if there is any connection with the U.S. ranking 50th in the world with life expectancy? Perhaps we’re made to celebrate more?

Not surprisingly, research indicates that an employee reward system is the most significant factor in keeping, and motivating, employees. Oddly enough, financial rewards were not as important as a culture that rewarded success in simple ways, such as a hand-written thank-you note from a boss. Also, the research indicated what we all know; no one wants the same participation trophy that everyone gets for showing up; they want to be recognized for putting in the extra effort as a team or as an individual.

You are meant to be celebrated, even if it’s you that throws your own party; you deserve it. For me, I like to party with others so I recently threw a party for myself. I knocked a home run way, way, way out of the park and no crowd noticed or cheered.

So, I threw a party and invited my wife. We ate a great meal, had a fine bottle of wine we had been saving and danced on the deck to a new Michael Buble album.

So how will you throw yourself a party today? You deserve it!