Living life means dealing with all sorts of relationship frustrations and having days where your heart feels busy and stirred up. In the midst of such everyday moments, I was recently reminded of a wonderful concept called “Mae-iwai” (advance celebration).

In Japan, there is a lovely tradition of celebrating things in advance—congratulating yourself or others on a dream coming true or good fortune arriving before it actually happens.

At first, you might think, “Isn’t it a bit too early to celebrate when it hasn’t even happened yet?” But the more you think about it, the more heartwarming and practical it actually is.

By celebrating in advance, your heart instantly lights up, and a joyful, excited energy wells up inside you, thinking, “I’m definitely heading toward that goal!” Our minds and hearts catch the positive vibration of that early celebration and help pull in wonderful outcomes.

Sure, everyday life brings its share of neighborhood annoyances and emotional waves… Even so, taking a moment to pamper myself and saying, “You’re doing great!” or “Even better things are coming your way!”—pre-emptively telling my future self “Congratulations”—feels so freeing.

Whether it’s deciding to rely on takeout because I didn’t feel like cooking, spending quiet moments watering the garden seedlings, or savoring my absolute favorite blueberry yogurt, everything is connected to my precious future.

Letting go of worries about whether things will work out, and filling yourself up with the warm energy of an early celebration instead. Why not celebrate today in advance, wrapped in smiles and gratitude?

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