How do you feel about (your own) birthdays?

Today is my birthday. I'm never quite sure how I feel about that. This year I am 49, and thinking about 50 next year. Aside from the decades thing, 49 seems like it should be more significant: 7 sevens seem to carry some vaguely magical significance.

I have had lots of birthdays and so I have celebrated them in many ways. This year, I am announcing some key projects to a special group of friends who have also been my clients. My work is my playground, and this is the best way I can think of to celebrate the year that is upon me. My work is a gift: it feeds my spirit and shapes my personality and challenges me endlessly. It is not something to flee but something to ride. I am eager to see where it will take me this year, knowing that the road is sometimes windy and bumpy and often breathtaking.

My favourite birthdays are not the anniversary of my own birth but the days when I remember holding a small new-born in my arms and looking into his eyes for the very first time. Those birthdays remind me that life is amazing and wonderful. My own birthdays remind me that time is passing and that while some days seem much too long, the years are seeming much too short.

Everyday is somebody's birthday. Remember that life is amazing. Remember that life is short. Carpe diem.




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