Birthday project: Age with purpose and embrace the beauty of birthdays
Call me strange, but these days, I can’t help but feel expectant and an excitement building up inside me as my birthday approaches. It’s as if my age has hit the ‘countdown mode,’ and I’m eagerly anticipating the day like never before.
I used to dread birthdays because it meant I was getting older, as if becoming older was the worst thing that could happen to someone. The unfortunate reality these days is that there is no association between death and age; thus, we no longer grow old and expect death to be the next thing. Death can appear at any time and from any place. Frankly, the mere thought of it is scary but Jesus Christ conquered death so we have the assurance that the fear of death should not restrict our potential in life.
I can’t help not being contemplative and I lied to myself that this birthday post would be kept simple like that of my anniversary.
Birthdays for me was beginning to look like a happy and sad affair. Why? The calls and messages made me feel super special like we all do. It’s a day we get to be celebrities in the lives of our families, friends and interestingly strangers. It’s so beautiful.
On the flip side, it can turn into a day where our hearts get crushed for various reasons, often stemming from our loved ones forgetting to celebrate our special day. Yet, as the sun sets, we join the trend of posting appreciation messages (expect mine too!) and life continues until the next cycle begins. It’s a time when people get introspective, contemplating the passing years and sometimes feeling disheartened that they aren’t where they envisioned or don’t possess what they thought they would by this age (I often wonder who designed this life plan in the first place).
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Birthdays were soon becoming boring for me and I was beginning to get scared of the feeling growing within me. I found myself getting attached to receiving material things or setting expectations for the day, leading to either frustration or disappointment when they didn’t materialize. This was not a good feeling. It made me realise the danger of clinging to temporary possessions and allowing external circumstances to dictate my mood. (This does not mean my gift register is closed though, lol). Join the OMT’s Digest channel on Telegram.
With the grace of God, I embraced these practices, which I’ll soon share, and ever since, birthdays have transformed into beautiful, cherished moments for me.
Practices that made birthdays beautiful
These strategies have proven effective in my life, and my sincere wish is that they inspire you to create your unique tradition, one that will turn birthdays into an occasion you eagerly anticipate, no matter the circumstances you find yourself in.
1. Self-care: I began by considering birthdays as a day to relieve myself of stress and focus on me. As a mother, the luxury of relaxing and doing nothing is sheer bliss, and I let the kids get creative with pampering treatments for me. However, after a while, I realised it wasn’t enough, so it was time to explore the next step.
2. Self-awareness and purpose: The journey commences with self-discovery and finding your life’s purpose, aligned with God’s divine plan for you.
3. Explore: Identify mini projects that align with your purpose, leaving behind a meaningful legacy filled with impactful memories that will endure long after you’ve departed from this earth.
4. Use your gift to impact others: Transform long-term projects into achievable annual tasks. For instance, consider launching something new, engaging in acts of giving back or paying it forward, and finding meaningful ways to make a positive impact on others.
5. Gratitude and next steps: Take a step further with being reflective on your birthdays. It is a good time to celebrate your progress (You are alive, right? It calls for celebration regardless!) and look forward to the goals for the next birthday and the actions needed from your end.
6. Create birthday resolutions: View birthdays through the lens of how we approach our serious New Year resolutions—the ones we genuinely set and diligently work towards accomplishing. If we shift our perspective to see birthdays as reminders to leave a positive mark on this world, we might find ourselves prioritising birthday resolutions over New Year resolutions due to the personal commitment they entail.
7. Time to create and tick off bucket lists: Create a bucket list and use birthdays to check in on the progress or use it as an opportunity to tick an item off the list. Have some fun whilst leaving your positive footprints behind. While reflective birthdays hold merit, their true value shines when we take intentional steps, enjoying the benefits of our personal growth journey.
8. Make purpose primary and numbers secondary: Always remember that age is just a number! Never ever forget this! A good friend shared an inspiring story with me on purpose and I related to it. My 27 weeks triplets although short-lived fulfilled their purpose in life. The inspiration for this impactful blog arose from my own experiences of loss and grief. This deeply personal platform holds immense significance, serving as a tribute to the legacy left behind by my 3 boys who lived a short but meaningful life.
Age should never be a reason to believe you lack purpose, and birthdays should not become painful reminders of your perceived lack of progress. As I celebrate my special day, I urge you to read this post again from the beginning. If, after doing so, you still harbor the same feelings, feel free to reach out to me at connectwithopie@omtsdigest.com.
Through this post, my hope is that it sparks inspiration within you to reevaluate your perspective on birthdays and aging, and consider making positive changes in how you approach them.
Shifting from a reflective to a celebratory state, I also have a special announcement coming at 12pm today on my LinkedIn page! Happy Birthday to me!!! I’m filled with excitement to witness how God unfolds my journey year after year, even during the challenging pruning seasons.
Lots of love,
