Like holidays, we celebrate birthdays on an annual basis. But instead of commemorating something that is revered on a societal level, birthdays are an opportunity to celebrate our own unique lives. It’s a time to look back on the great things we’ve done and to ponder on the things we hope to do next. Plus, it’s a day to enjoy cake, gifts, fun activities, and whatever else makes us very happy.
Birthdays also motivate us to improve our lives.
A blog post on Birthday.com reminds us that “by making birthdays a time of reflection and resolution, birthdays can make you become a better person throughout the years.” That means taking the time to lay out long-term goals and formulating realistic plans of action to achieve those goals.
How we celebrate.
While it’s traditional for birthdays to celebrate people born on a specific day of the year, it doesn’t have to be that way. In case you’re not aware, there is such a thing as a charitable birthday party. Instead of a birthday party where one receives gifts, people can choose to have birthday parties that ultimately benefit others. An article in the magazine Parents has three examples of children who willingly had birthday parties where guests made donations that ultimately went to charity. Everyone involved, even the kids, loved it.
Given these things that birthdays can be about, I began to wonder if birthdays have to be only once a year. I’m not saying that we should have a birthday party every single day. Rather, I’m implying that the aspects of birthdays that make us happy are things that are already in our everyday lives. Thankfully, I’m not alone in this. The website Positively Present has five tips to treat each day like a birthday:
- make yourself and others feel special
- treat yourself to something out of the ordinary
- remind yourself of your accomplishments
- experience the present fully
- look forward to the future
As of this blog post, my birthday recently passed. That day was just like every other day I had been living, in which I counted my blessings, worked towards my goals, enjoyed as much of everything as I could, treated myself to a reward at the end of the day, and just felt happy overall. Not surprisingly, there was no birthday party for me. I haven’t had a birthday party since I was 10 years old. But even if I do have a birthday party later on, it will not be like my childhood parties. At this point in my life, I’d like to have a birthday party where the focus is making the party guests happy and donating to a charitable cause, both of which can leave me feeling happy.
Spread the birthday happy, every day
However you choose to celebrate your birthday, I’m sure you agree that it is among the most joyful times of your life. I also hope that you can see how the joy of birthdays does not have to be limited to annual celebrations. If you can celebrate each day like a birthday, happiness can be something that you can experience every day, not just once a year.
