Birthdays, we (the majority at least) celebrate them. What do they mean though? Exactly what do the celebrations celebrate? Do we just need an excuse to gather with friends and family? Or, do birthdays hold more significance?
Personally I consider my birthday almost a second New Year. The change in age stirs up newness. For instance, last week I turned 28. Now I’m wondering, what will year 28 bring me? Well actually I’m thinking “How do I take myself above and beyond to make 28 the best year yet?” A proactive approach bodes better than letting life happen to you.
Reflecting back I realize adapting this second New Year attitude towards my birthday developed over time. In college I used my birthday as an excuse to invite all my friends out somewhere. Transitioning to my current attitude helps me cope with getting older. You see I never proved too enthused about growing up.
For instance, in high school I remember hearing classmates remark “I can’t wait to get out of this hell hole.” I always thought “Why?” Getting older meant more responsibilities and I did not want those. While I did not live the ideal life I desired in high school, I remained complacent with what I had.
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Wow! Writing this post really leaves me thinking. Perhaps I did not want to get older because the aforementioned responsibilities scared me. Responsibilities these days I’m battling to obtain. Going from 2014 to 2015 I’m targeting building my freelance pursuits to the point where I can finally become financially independent from my parents.
27 to 28 acts as a triggering mechanism pushing me to measure the effectiveness to what new habits I implemented so far over early 2015. Like the time journaling I mentioned in my Youtube video discussing time management strategies.
Since I started time journaling in February, I possess almost three months in data. My birthday provokes me to internally ask “How am I using this data to better position me towards success? Is it working?” My answers will shape new initiatives, essentially secondary New Year resolutions for my second New Year.
I celebrated my 27th birthday last year with friends at Red Robin. After we went bowling.
Admittedly I continue to use my birthday to also gather friends together and go out. However in my mind the celebration celebrates the progress to come with the new age, again similar to why people gather and celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Allow me to end today’s post by once again asking the questions we started with. What do birthdays mean though? Exactly what do the celebrations celebrate? Do we just need an excuse to gather with friends and family? Or, do birthdays hold more significance?
One more question, did my post today get you thinking? Let me know by commenting.
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