A New Approach to Birthdays…
The COVID pandemic has forced us to switch many things including how we celebrate. My own birthday is April 3rd and as such I have had two birthdays where having a big party was out of the question (not that I did before COVID, if I am being honest). This got me thinking about birthdays in general and my own observations from friends, family and my clients: they are often seen as a negative. Many people worry about getting older or just see it as another day with no meaning at all. For todays blog post (Yes, I am writing it on my birthday!) I wanted to go over a few ways that you can make your birthday special by using it as a waypoint for improving your life.
“When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” -Tibetan proverb
Create a Pre-Birthday Ritual:
When exploring different ways to approach birthday celebrations, one of the approaches that stood out to me was actually starting your birthday celebration by setting up a ritual of tasks before your big day. The goal of this Pre-Birthday ritual is to clean the slate for the new year of your life.
One great way to clean the slate is to organize your finances. Suggestions included paying off any debts, setting up your budget for the year or any other larger financial tasks that could be required such as setting up a savings plan etc. For my own personal task, I made sure to clear off my credit cards (something I complete after each paycheck) as well as getting my taxes completed for the year—my birthday is at the perfect time of year for this task.
Another suggestion is to de-clutter and clean your living space. I think this is great, as a newly cleaned space can be refreshing and inspiring. Spring cleaning rituals have been part of many peoples lives and adding in a birthday clean would be an added bonus (since my birthday is in the spring I get to cheat this one).
Plan your birthday in advance. This is a kind of obvious suggestion but I think it is something that people that dislike birthdays often skip. I know for myself, I kind of let birthdays happen without putting any real effort to making it special for myself. Guess what happens? It isn't very special. This year I planned to write this blog post in an effort to make my birthday more meaningful for myself. Now writing a blog post might not be the most fun thing to do, but I enjoy that I am creating something that will last going forward. My plan for myself is to try and do something a little different each year—so far so good!
Celebrate Differently:
When we think of celebrating our birthday we usually think of a cake with a bunch of friends or family around singing a certain trademarked song. While there is nothing wrong with this most times, the current situation does not allow for this kind of celebration. So how can we celebrate our birthday in a different way? Below are a couple ways you may celebrate that can have a lasting effect to help you to live better than having that piece of chocolate cake.
Celebrate the growth you have made in the last year...5 years...10 years.
I really like this suggestion as it forces you into self-reflection mode. While this can be challenging, it can be helpful to take the time to sit down and hash out your life and throw it all on the table. When things are tough, it is often the most challenging to be kind to ourselves: this is when it is key to be able to find good things we have done is our past. Using this method, we learn to be kinder to ourselves and we can make our birthday a special day where we make sure to be kind. It is really important to try to focus on the positive growth during this step as we do not want to make a pity party out of your birthday party.
Start a transition ritual: 3 things to get rid of and 3 things to add
In this step, the goal is to identify three things you want to change or get rid of and three things you want to add over the next year. This step is going to be unique for each person and can be a mix of many different things. The key here is that the changes should be with you as a person, not just buying some fun stuff to add to your collection.
This step also involves a significant amount of self-reflection and can be challenging. Again, this isn't about feeling bad about the last year but more about how if you were to see yourself a year from now what would you like to see added and subtracted from your life.
My additions:
Exercise 5 days weekly (with 2 runs weekly)
Read 1 book per month (minimum)
Create 1 YouTube video per month (minimum)
My Subtractions:
Remove afternoon snacking
Pay off debt for Titan Project
Keep desk clutter free (home and office)
You can see with my additions and subtractions that they are individual to my own needs. Your own list will represent goals that you have for yourself. By having these written transition goals, we make our birthday special by giving us a starting point for personal growth.
Conclusion:
Your birthday is a special day if you allow it to be. My suggestions above can make your birthday act as a spring board for positive growth that can help you be your best self. If you have any positive birthday celebration rituals I would love for you to share in the comments. Happy Birthday and, as always, thank you for your support.
