We have a popular tradition in our family called the Money Dance. Whenever we get a  windfall, like a tax refund or a bonus, we deposit the funds in the bank, withdraw a representative amount in small bills, take it home, toss it up in the air of the living room and dance around like idiots as the bills float to the ground around us.

Silly, right? But important. Here’s why:

Too often we get caught up in the drudgery of daily life. It’s hard to feel like we’re making progress in life when there’s an endless amount of mundane tasks just to keep things going. If we don’t keep up, we’re soon overwhelmed by Summary of Benefits statements, broken knobs and switches, and the never-ending list of tasks we must attend to just to keep our households running.

Celebrating the wins, no matter how small, is crucial to our motivation. At every turn, there is a mountain of paperwork and drudgery between us and happiness. Because, as The Eagles say in their song New York Minute, “the wolf is always at the door.”

Celebrating small bits of progress helps us keep moving in the face of crappy odds and constant setbacks. Taking a moment to acknowledge our struggles and accomplishments feeds our hope.

Back when my wife and I had little to celebrate, we got into the habit of perspective with a simple phrase. Whenever we were recounting the losses of the day, we would stop ourselves and say, ” well, at least the house didn’t burn down today.” Just acknowledging that our losses weren’t catastrophic helped us see the big picture: life is challenging and you just have to keep moving through the crap to get to the good stuff.

So when the good stuff comes, again, no matter how small, we need to acknowledge and celebrate. Because tomorrow brings a steady stream of challenges and disappointments, and we must not falter. We have to keep pushing toward our goals if we’re going to live happily ever after.

Take a moment now and make a list if you can. What went right today? What little bits of kindness and grace were you offered as you slogged through your routines? Most importantly, what milestones did you achieve, and what windfalls showed up?

Then go down to the bank, withdraw a little of your hard earned lucre, toss it up in the air and do your Money Dance. It just might raise your horizons enough to dream a little more, and the cardio will certainly do you some good…