When it comes to you, big or small celebrate it all.
We spend a lot of time celebrating others and showing up to support others but how are you celebrating yourself? How are you celebrating wins and birthday? How are you supporting your dreams in real life? How often do you pause, look at your own lives, and say, “I’m so proud of myself. I did that! Let me take myself out and celebrate.” Your birthday is one of the perfect opportunities o do just that. Celebrating your birthday can seem overwhelming because social media parties you’ve seen. It can make you feel like you don’t have many friends, you don’t have that much money, you do have a romactic partner or a best friend to throw you a surprise party. These thoughts can bring you down and allow you to skip out on you. Reality is you do not need to throw a big party, spend a bus load of money, have a group of people around you, or wait for someone to make plans for you. Other people will say one thing, do the complete opposite and now your mood and day is ruined. Why? Because you put your life, joy and time into another flawed humans hands. Sometimes, celebrating your birthday can be as simple as taking yourself to a nice dinner, eating your favorite meal, enjoying peace at home, a staycation or taking a trip.
If you do not celebrate anything else, celebrate your birthday. Life is so long yet so short. Life moves quickly. Between work, relationships, school, family, unexpected emergencies, bills always being due, and personal goals, it is easy to get caught up in routine. It is also easy to carry the past into the future. Due to what happen in the past you can fully unlock and live free on your special day. We are constantly moving forward toward seomthing. We spend so much time focusing nowhere we want go that we sometimes forget to acknowledge how far we have already come. That was then but the time is now. That is why celebrating your birthday matters.
Your birthday is a reminder that you are still breathing. You are blessed to be alive and see another day. Another year has passed, and through every unexpected challenege, disappointment, change, and difficult season, you made it to another year of life. Maybe this past year was not the best year. it was not what you expected. Maybe you experienced loss, heartbreak, disappointment, financial struggles, loneliness, uncertainty, or moments when you questions yourself. Maybe it knocked you off of your square causing you to lose yourself, your confidence and faith. But, you are here. Here for a reason. Blessed, blessed with time to make change. Whatever was lost can be found again.
Ways you can celebrate your birthday without spending a lot of money
Solo date - Grab lunch or dinner at a new location. Swing by you favorite cafe. Bring your journal, laptop, notepad, book, homework or whatever brings you fulfillment. Explore a new city near you and check out a few new shops (bookstore, thrift store, boutique). Put on activewear and go hiking, visit a park, beach, waterfront or hit a new trail. Enjoy your own company doing something you truly want to do without feeling like you need someone w/you to make the experience great.
Self - care at home - Put on your favorite PJs, new PJs or cute and sexy lingerie, take a shower followed by a nice warm relaxing bath. Put some music on, light a few candle and sip on ice cold water on the rocks in a wine class while you recharge. Find a good movie to watch, have a nice hearty meal and dessert. Give yourself time without rushing and a fee mind to think about nothing but yourself.
Let them take you out - Pop tag, put it out and pop outside. Let your friend take you out. But okay with letting someone treat you on your birthday. Your job is to look good, show up and have a good time.
Do something you’ve been putting off - Maybe you never had someone to go with. Okay, scratch that, now is the time. It is the time for you to try that thing, see that thing, visit that location or do that thing. Stop waiting for the perfect company, your company is enough and the people you will meet along the way are usually a good time. Live in the moment.
Celebrate your growth - Don’t get caught up in “number”. You are not old unless you think, walk, move, and act like you are old. Write yourself a letter, reflect on the past year, create a 6 month goal list, taking picture and do you. celebrate the were you were and embrace the person you are being. Remember, you get to write your story.
Why you should celebrate your birthday and your wins in life
Because you made it through another year
Because you survived a har season
because you did not give up
Because you are worthy of better
Because greatness is in you
Because you are blessed to be here w/days, time, and opportunities head of you
Because you are not your past.
Because the small wins throughout the week or month helps you recognize the progress is happening in real time.
Because you should be living and not existing
At the end of the day, if you don’t celebrate any other holiday celebrating your birthday should never been off the list. Celebrating yourself is not selfish, self-centered, or pretending life is always good. but on the flip side, it’s your birthday you can do and feel however you want to feel in a good way. If you want to be selfish, be that, respectfully. If you want to pop your ish, pop it! Do you!
Celebrate another year of life. Celebrate your personal holiday. Making it through, seeing it through and becoming who you are meant to be. Celebrate the season even if you are still working through something. You do not have to look like what you are going through. You are trying with action, you are learning, you are growing while you make mistakes along the way and that is worth a celebration in itself. Be proud of yourself before you reach your finish line. We all have our birth date, a dash, and our expiration date. You and I are currently living in the dash. Enjoy your dash now while you can. Do things that make you smile and tickle your fanny. March to the beat of your own drum. Celebrate your progress when you reach weekly goal, monthly goals, and always celebrate your birthday for yourself, by yourself. Allow others to celebrate you as well. If you don’t like group dinners, no problem. Tell your friends they can take you somewhere one - on -one. Simple fix.
You deserve to be celebrated and the best person to start with is yourself. Show up, self-care and have fun during your elevation process. Comment down below and share what you did for your birthday this year and how you plan on celebrate your up coming birthday.
