Do we need to (or “should” we) wait to be celebrated by others?

The New York Times recently featured a long article about the BSO, including a paragraph about my role in the orchestra. (You can read it here if you’re curious.) The article got me thinking about the ways we are typically celebrated and acknowledged.

Here’s my question: Do we need to (or “should” we) wait to be celebrated by others? What if we were willing to celebrate ourselves, quietly, internally? What might shift if we didn’t depend on others to recognize or acknowledge us — because we could count on ourselves for this?  What if that external celebration was a delicious cherry on top of the sundae, but the sundae is already inside of us?

(That metaphor got a bit weird — but I think you’ll understand. Also, now I’m hungry!)

This doesn’t come naturally to me. But this coming year I’m committing to quiet self-acknowledgement and internal celebration — maybe of a last performance in Paris, or of the final time I play a favorite piece, or once again struggling but mostly making it through that really tough passage.  

What about you? Do you see power (and freedom) in being willing to celebrate yourself? Does this come naturally to you?

If you’re curious, here’s the quotation:

“Elizabeth Rowe, the principal flutist whose distinctive, ever-so-slightly melancholy tone has defined the sound of the modern Boston Symphony, has announced that she will leave her position next year. She sued the orchestra in 2018 to secure pay equal to that of the oboist who sits to her left, John Ferrillo. She has drawn on the experience of that lawsuit, which was settled in 2019, to fashion a new career as a coach. She returned from a period of leave with these concerts, and her immaculate, expressive playing was so exquisite that it brought back to mind the view of Ferrillo, as it was quoted in legal filings, that she is “the finest orchestral flutist in North America.” She should be celebrated, and will be missed.”