Celebration

WOW! We’re fast approaching the end of this event, and I want to make sure you’re ready to celebrate tomorrow! 

How often do you celebrate your achievements?

Even the teeny tiny ones. Especially the teeny tiny ones.

For most dog owners, it’s not often enough.

Why? Does it feel silly? Undeserved? A waste of time? Something that only other people do?

What if we told you that celebration has its place in neuroscience and is a key

motivational tool we can all harness to stay on track? 

Woah.

Yep! We can use celebration as a tool to make us want to keep coming back for more, and even sticking to the plan through to the end. When we celebrate something (even just a little bit) our body releases hormones that make us feel great.

Here’s what you get from celebration – and why it matters:

• Dopamine creates joy and a sense of satisfaction. It also boosts learning, memory, creativity, and motor function, so that your brain and body are primed to remember what worked and repeat it more easily next time.
• Serotonin helps regulate mood, sleep, appetite, digestion, and learning ability – making  you feel calmer, more focused, and better equipped to train consistently.
• Endorphins reduce pain and increase pleasure which increase your capacity to handle the hard parts in future.
• Oxytocin is the connection hormone: it creates warmth, trust, and bonding, which make you and your dog a team, and the whole training process feels rewarding, not just results-focused.

And ALL these can be boosted by taking a few seconds every now and again to celebrate.

Mind. Blown.