What if we celebrated the end at the beginning?

We're used to celebrating the end of things. We achieve our goal, reach the pinnacle, and celebrate. But what if we celebrated at the beginning instead of at the end? What if the celebration was about the privilege of beginning?

There's merit in that, I think. We even know it instinctively somehow. After all, don't we have far more "first-day" pictures of our children's academic journey than "last day"?  We send gifts when someone buys a new home, not when they sell it.  We send warmest well wishes when someone begins a new career but rarely when they leave it.

We do like celebrating beginnings. And perhaps, we should do that even more.

Where are you standing at a threshold?  Where do you have the perfect chance to practice gratitude and celebrate the opportunity to begin?

Quite often, we see the start as just that, only the start. But nothing happens without it. It's perhaps the most crucial moment of any part of our journey.

These words from Thich Nhat Hanh express it well:

"We have the tendency to think there is a means, a path, to realizing our dream, and that we realize our dream at the end of the path. But as soon as you have a dream, an intention, an ideal, you have to live it. As soon as you take a step toward your dream, your dream is already there."

 A few years ago, I was able to witness this first-hand when my nephew started medical school. Our family went to be with him for a special ceremony at The University of Texas Long School of Medicine. It's a tradition and a reminder of the privilege of learning.

I didn't know what to expect, but in the end, the day was impressive and inspiring.

They call the event the White Coat Ceremony. The medical school students entered the auditorium, each carrying a doctor's white coat folded over their arm.

The ceremony honored the school and celebrated its faculty's achievements, but it focused more of its program on these students. These fresh minds ready to take on new knowledge and challenges were the stars. Everything was about them and what it would take to be successful over the next four years. The commitment of the faculty to help them accomplish their hopes and dreams was clear.

We were standing with them at the starting line. It was a joy to watch them celebrate this beginning. Before the ceremony ended, they would don those jackets with pride in what they were about to do.

The keynote speaker shared these thoughts:

"Listen," he said. "We've all been right where you are right now. And we understand. We know you are afraid. But guess what? It's okay. You are going to make mistakes. We made them. You're going to make them. It's part of learning. It is because of those mistakes you will be more than a doctor. You will become a healer."

We need to remember the same more often in our own lives. Don't fear the mistakes. Welcome them. They are part of learning. Celebrate the privilege of making them for what they will make of us.

 Don't wait until the end to celebrate. Instead, begin at the starting line and celebrate the opportunity to begin!