July brings lots of things to celebrate. Summer vacations, Independence Day, World Chocolate Day, and International Day of Friendship to name a few. I personally love the whole Christmas in July trend. Who doesn’t need a little dose of Christmas magic midway through the year to hold you over?
July brings one more big celebration for me. My birthday! Break out the bubbly July babies. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I celebrate my birthday as a personal New Year’s Day. Here’s why you should too.
Let’s start with the obvious: You were born
The world was allowed to be blessed with your presence and special talents. Lives were changed when you arrived. You started something new and wonderful that day. Each year you are given a chance to celebrate all that you are to this world.
You make an impact on people whether you realize it or not. Don’t discount yourself and your legacy. Celebrate all that is special about you! Take the compliment. Let your friends and family show you how important you are. You are worth it because you are not here by accident.
Set Goals Without Distraction
Using your birthday as your new year is a chance to reflect and spend time on your goals. I realized that by doing this during the holidays I was setting more superficial goals. It’s easy to get caught up in the typical conversations about goals for the new year and skim over what matters the most to you.
This idea works because it quiets the noise around you. There aren’t people constantly asking you what you resolve to do next year. No commercials telling you what you should do. The pressure to have an answer is gone. It’s just you, a sheet of paper, and your future.
Take the week before your birthday to look at your goals and set them accordingly. Don’t do the typical resolution list of 10 or more. Just choose the ones that will make the most impact on you in the upcoming year. Structure them with action steps and milestones.
When your birthday comes, you can relax knowing that you have a clear plan for the new year. Better yet, when December 31 rolls around, you don’t have to worry about that part of the holiday frenzy. You are ahead of the game!
For the Holiday Babies
There may be some readers who can’t avoid the holiday rush around their birthday. That’s okay. This will still work for you in a modified form.
A friend of mine has a birthday on New Year’s Eve. She decided that she would take the first weekend of December to do her goal setting. She sets a date with herself, orders in, and spends time reflecting and deciding what her focus will be when her new year begins. She agrees that this has allowed her to not get swept up in the messaging the world tells her to want, work for, etc.
Another person I shared this with has a birthday on Christmas Eve. He uses the week after Thanksgiving. He also shared that he looks at that week as his new fiscal calendar for his business planning. He accomplishes both in one week. He doesn’t start working on his plan until December 26 so he can focus solely on family during the holiday.
Final Thoughts
Your birthday is a new year that is personal to you. It’s the best time to realign yourself with who you want to be, what you want to do, and where you want to go. Use it to set the tone for the upcoming year.
Try it on your next birthday and let me know how it works out for you. I think you will find that you set more focused goals with realistic and manageable action plans to make them a reality. The best part is that while you’re enjoying the holidays you won’t be worried about what to say when someone asks what your new year’s resolutions are.
Instead, you will sip your champagne, smile at them over the top of the glass, and tell them that the real new year is in (insert birthday month) and you are just here for the party. That’s a guaranteed ice breaker.
I’ll be celebrating my new year at the beach. Comment below on how you will celebrate yours and feel free to share this post!