My friend, April, posted this picture online the other day that she took in Nepal, and I fell in love with it immediately. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes of all time, which comes from Story Of The Day:

She asked me when the season of joy was supposed to end and I said I didn’t really think there was an exact date, so we left the tree up till June that year.

It’s essentially my life philosophy, and recently I’ve really been embodying that. It’s so important to celebrate everything always. Something I think a lot of people don’t understand is that a celebration doesn’t need to involve going to the party store, purchasing tons of decorations, and cooking a bunch of food. You don’t need to have a guest list and send out invitations; you really just need yourself and a reason to celebrate.

So what’s a reason to celebrate? The fact that you graduated is a big deal for sure, but the party doesn’t need to be about a major life event! How about the fact that you finished your to do list? Or that on this day last year you met your new best friend? What about those unusual holidays we forget about, or that the sunset just looks fucking gorgeous this evening? It doesn’t matter what you want to celebrate. If it’s important to you, party.

Someone else who lives this way is Andrew W.K. His music isn’t for everyone, but I strongly encourage you to take a look at his lifestyle, words, and philosophy.

I like to think of partying as doing what you want to do all the time, because normally, from what I was taught, you’re supposed to do a bunch of stuff you don’t like to do maybe during the week, and then when that’s done you’ve earned the right to have one night or two nights of fun. That just seems completely convoluted to me. That seems like someone tricking us telling us that the way the world works is you don’t get to do what you like. How about we do exactly what we like all the time, with the understanding that, in fact, that’s how we’ll be most successful anyway, because the amount of work it takes to be successful requires a lot of motivation and you usually only get your motivation when you’re doing something you like to do, so why not just do that all the time? And then you realize you don’t have to set aside time to celebrate or have fun, you’re having it all the time. So to me partying, and partying hard, is doing what you love to do every day. And that is what life should be. So it is possible, it is absolutely possible, to party 365/24/7. – Andrew W.K.

You can see him say these beautiful words in this video, plus a little more.

So yeah, today is Friday and more than likely that you’re ending a 40 hour work week. You might be looking forward to going out with friends tonight for a drink, or simply collapsing on your couch. But the news I have for you is that tonight doesn’t need to be the only time that you party, the only time you feel free. Every day is an opportunity for that. If you hate your job, I’d obviously advise you to search for something else, but that’s easier said than done. What’s more plausible in the short term is making the best of the situation you have now. Look for those sparkly linings, my lovely friends. Have a positive attitude, bring in cookies for coworkers, and declare your lunch break adventure time. Apply this tactic to anything you feel you need to “get through”, be it your shift at work, a boring lecture, or washing the dishes.

In short: don’t just party tonight, party always.