Blog Post in Progress for Cinco de Mayo ... feedback appreciated

The following is a blog post I am preparing for the WOW! Women on Writing blog for Cinco de Mayo. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you as always for stopping by.

May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, sunshine, and reasons to celebrate!
~Crystal



Celebrate YOU, today and every day!

I was pretty excited when I found out I would be doing the WOW! Blog post on Cinco de Mayo. What better day to encourage fellow writers to celebrate than on what is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride? Today is a great day to talk about pride in our vocation, and how we deserve to celebrate our successes. Author, Joel Osteen, said it eloquently: “When nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself. It’s not up to other people to keep you encouraged. It’s up to you. Encouragement should come from the inside.”

If you have always been confident in your writing abilities or have always been embraced by agents, publishers, and readers, I want to know your secret! Many of the rest of us view each rejection as a step closer to our goal, and yet there are those moments when we wonder if maybe the school guidance counselor was right and we should have chosen what was categorized as a "real job". Wherever you are in your career or your literary journey, you have something to celebrate and pride is a lovely thing. Pride plays a vital role in self-confidence.  You may not want to go as far as commissioning a European sculptor to create a life-size statue of yourself in the center of town, but find a way to celebrate that feels comfortable to you. Our family has a large framed picture in the entry way (pictured below). Within this frame are some of our proudest moments and we have strategically hung it where we can see it when coming and going. It is a reminder of hard work and goals. It keeps us focused but is also a daily reminder to celebrate who we are. Other celebratory ideas include (but are not limited to):

• Throw yourself a book launch party
• Start a writers group in your community (and don’t forget the coffee and snacks)
• Start a Facebook page and/or blog for yourself as an author
• Frame a copy of your book cover, magazine article, newspaper article, etc… and hang it in your office
• Treat yourself to a massage, manicure, pedicure, or whatever makes you feel good
• Buy yourself something you wouldn't usually buy (ie: dinner at a particular restaurant, a new hand bag, a fun necklace, etc...)
• Buy a bottle of champagne or your favorite wine and enjoy a glass with that special someone in your life





There’s a time and place for being humble, but when you’ve reached your goal (whatever that means for you), remember to make time to celebrate. Better yet, celebrate without hesitation or guilt. The celebration will help you stay encouraged to set new goals and achieve those too. Remember the quote at the beginning of this post – “encouragement should come from the inside” and this is no time to be bashful. Take pride in your work and get out there and celebrate everything that you are!

Thank you WOW! for today’s blogging opportunity and the daily opportunity to work with so many talented individuals. Readers, I would love to hear from you – what are some ways you’ve celebrated you and your accomplishments? If you haven’t celebrated in the past, tell us why and maybe let us know how you plan to celebrate in the future.

~Crystal

Crystal J. Casavant-Otto is a church musician, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Reedsville, Wisconsin with her husband, two  young children(Carmen 6 and Andre 4), three dogs, and nearly 200 Holsteins. Crystal is expecting another child at the end of September.