Why It's Important to Celebrate Yourself

Yes, today is my birthday and many people think it's so silly that in the latter half of my life, I still celebrate my birthday. Those of you who say "it's just another day" or "presents aren't important" or "I'd rather forget it's my birthday" ... do you really mean them? No matter how strongly you affirm their truth it's your birthday and let's be honest, every person deep down wants to feel celebrated, even if in a small way. My birthday has always been a big deal for me, ever since I can remember and I look for every reason to celebrate it through the entire month, if I can. I love to be celebrated and I love to celebrate other people on their special day.

It's funny to me that in many other countries around the world, celebrating your birthday is a marked event yet I'm surrounded by so many people who disregard it here in America. In many countries celebrating your birthday as an adult is expected! One of my co-workers shared that in her country, it's their custom to invite a lot of people out for dinner, shower the birthday girl/boy with gifts and the birthday girl/boy is expected to pay for them all! The Irish celebrates it with food, drink, singing and dancing, the Egyptians have a party that includes singing and dancing, flowers, and fruit. In Australia they have BBQs and decorate with balloons, streamers, cakes, and candles.

So why is it so important to me to celebrate my birthday? Besides making it another year and being another year wiser, once upon a time it was probably about gifts and chocolate cake, but I have since matured (sort of). ?First and foremost, it's MY day. Were other people born on this day? Sure, although I try not to friend people who share this day because I don't want to share it with anyone .... well, I'm sort of kidding. So far, in this life, I don't think I know anyone else in my close circle that has the same birthday and I like it that way. (smile)? It's the day I came into existence, the day I took my first breath on my own. That's a reason to celebrate in and of itself! I changed the world albeit in a small way ... my parents weren't parents before me, I became someone that someone else can call a sister, a cousin, an aunt, a friend, even a mother and let's not forget, a wife! Another year, another chance to live life to the fullest and to celebrate all the years, the milestones and the accomplishments that came before this day since my birth and all I have left to accomplish. It's also a rebirth in a sense ... a chance to renew, to look forward, to start a new beginning. My birthday is a little like New Year’s Day ... you get to put the last year behind you and make new goals, new plans ... it's a reset button. It's a motivating day ... makes you feel empowered to do anything you put your mind to.

My birthday is an excuse to take a break .... and often I don't but because it's my birthday, I can use it as an excuse not to do something I don't want to do! I'm the Queen of the Day and I own it. It's also a day to justify spending money on things you might not often do for self-care.

In the US, gifts on a birthday are commonplace. Bring on the gifts! I love them! My birthday is a reason to get presents and be celebrated and who doesn't love that? Unexpected cards in the mail, surprise birthday cakes, complimentary lunches, celebratory dinners and reach outs from people near and far, maybe some you haven't heard from in some time who use it as a reason to reconnect. I love that!

Yes, I know the art of compromise but on your birthday, can't you do what just makes you happy and throw compromise to the wind? Really, if you are not a birthday person, I encourage you to consider how you celebrate yourself. It is so important to feel cared about, appreciated and even celebrated by others and by yourself. People who love and care about you need an opportunity to express it and you need to hear and feel it, even if you think you don't. All that aside, if you still aren't feeling it, perhaps use your birthday to give back, to make the world a better place through a specific act of kindness or choose an activity that truly pushes you out of your comfort zone every year, learn something new or create a new experience for yourself. Invite others to join you. Don't hide from your birthday as that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Are you not celebrating because you feel there is nothing to celebrate? If that's the case you might start living like there is nothing to celebrate and as such, you'll lose anticipation for life. Every life has value. Every life is important. Every life is precious, time is precious. Celebrate now, you never know if you'll have the chance to celebrate another.

Happiness and excitement is contagious and if you are happy on this day, others around you will be as well. Embrace it! Happy Birthday to me and to you!