Purpose-Focused Celebrations

In the Tiny Habits Method. . .

A celebration is something you think, say, and/or do to make yourself feel a positive emotion.

You do your celebration right after your new tiny behavior. The positive emotion generated by your celebration helps wire the new behavior into your brain, making it more automatic. The more automatic, the stronger the habit.

There are many ways to celebrate. You need to find what works for you—what makes YOU feel positive, uplifted, successful, and happy.

One powerful approach to celebrating
is what I call
purpose-focused celebration.

A purpose-focused celebration is a celebration that brings to mind a deep-seated motivation or enduring aspiration.

Creating a purpose-focused celebration is a two-step process.

First, use the template below to create a statement of purpose for the identity that your new habit supports.

My purpose as [identity] is to [purpose].

Here are some example statements of purpose:

My purpose as a father is to raise healthy, helpful, and happy humans.
My purpose as a partner is to love and support my significant other.
My purpose as an educator is to help produce competent and compassionate physicians.
My purpose as a researcher is to create programs and insights that help people change for good.
My purpose as a friend is to love and support my friends.
My purpose as a human is to enjoy, appreciate, and support life and all of its wonder.

Second, use your statement of purpose to create a purpose-focused celebration. Here are a few templates that you can use.

[Positive expression]! I’m [purpose]!
[Positive expression]! This habit helps me [purpose]!
[Positive expression]! I’m being the best [identity] I can be!

Here are some example purpose-focused celebrations:

Nailed it! I’m raising healthy humans!
Yes! This habit helps me support my wife!
Oh yeah! I’m helping people change for good!
Nice! This habit helps me enjoy and appreciate life!
Go me! I’m being the best researcher I can be!
Boom! I’m being the best friend I can be!

Below are some examples of how to use purpose-focused celebrations to form habits quickly.

Example #1

Amanda’s purpose as a mother is to raise her daughter, Ella, to be confident and successful. Amanda knows from past experience that morning walks give her energy for the day, which helps her better care for Ella. Here’s one of her recipes:

Example #2

Emanuel’s purpose as a humanitarian is to support those who need it the most. He knows that, in order to do this fully, he needs to get out of debt and be more financially stable. Here’s one of his recipes:

Example #3

Josh’s purpose as a partner is to love and support his wife. However, he often forgets to open the detergent compartment when moving clothes from the washer to the dryer. This leads to mildew and the need to re-wash loads of clothes, which upsets his wife. Here’s one of his recipes:

Example #4

Anu’s purpose as a grandmother is to nurture and support her family. This includes having the energy to play with her first grandchild as he grows. Here’s one of her recipes:

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