Celebrate what you want to see more of.

When Tom Peters declared, “Celebrate what you want to see more of,” he offered a principle both simple and profound. These words teach us that the act of celebration is not idle joy but a tool of transformation. What we honor, what we praise, what we bring into the light—these are the things that grow. Like sunlight to the seed, recognition nourishes what is good, just, and beautiful, allowing it to flourish in the soil of human effort.

The origin of this wisdom lies in Peters’ work as a voice of business leadership and organizational excellence. He observed that in companies, families, and societies, people are often quick to criticize failure but slow to recognize success. Yet it is recognition and encouragement that multiply virtues. By celebrating excellence, kindness, creativity, or perseverance, we create a culture that values and repeats them. Peters’ words are not merely about applause but about shaping the future through deliberate attention.

History gives us shining examples of this truth. In the courts of ancient Athens, Pericles praised the courage of citizens in his Funeral Oration, not to mourn alone, but to inspire generations to emulate their bravery. By celebrating the fallen, he called forth new defenders of democracy. Similarly, in modern times, Nelson Mandela, upon becoming president, celebrated reconciliation and forgiveness, not revenge. By honoring these virtues in public speech and private action, he guided a wounded nation toward healing. What they praised became the standard their people aspired to.

This teaching also reveals the spiritual law of focus: what we give energy to expands. If we constantly dwell on faults, faults multiply in our vision and in our world. If we honor and celebrate what is noble, the noble rises to the surface. Consider a teacher in a humble classroom: if they ridicule mistakes, fear will paralyze their students. But if they celebrate effort, creativity, and resilience, students will grow strong, confident, and daring. The smallest acts of celebration can ignite greatness in others.

The lesson is clear: to shape a community, a family, or even one’s own life, direct your praise wisely. Do not squander your energy in feeding envy or complaint. Instead, notice what is good, no matter how small, and lift it high with your words and actions. For the virtues you celebrate in others become the virtues they embody more fully, and the virtues you honor in yourself become the compass of your destiny.

Practical wisdom flows from this truth. If you desire more kindness, celebrate kindness whenever you see it, even in small gestures. If you wish for more courage, praise courage in your children, your friends, your colleagues. If you long for more wisdom, acknowledge wisdom when it arises in word or deed. In doing so, you will summon forth a world more closely aligned with the good you seek.

Thus, children of tomorrow, let Peters’ words be etched upon your heart: celebration is not passive—it is power. It is the hammer that shapes culture, the wind that fans the flame of virtue, the river that carries seeds to fertile ground. Celebrate what you wish to endure, and it will endure. Celebrate what you wish to grow, and it will grow. For in the act of joyful recognition, you become the author of the future you long to see.