For My Birthday I Gave Myself A Message Of Kindness
Today is my birthday.
The day was full of surprises from my family, shout outs from my friends and downtime with my dogs.
Not only that but today, December 15, was the day one of the most anticipated movies premiered at the theatre.
And I got to see it with my favorite 6-year old.
If there was ever a role model of a movie about kindness, Ferdinand the Bull gets my thumbs up.
Who knew Star Wars had competition right?
With the day now practically over, I can’t help but reflect on the magnitude of messages I received today.
The birthday wishes came from pretty much everybody.
Well almost everybody. There wasn’t one from me.
In my now 44 years of existence I never once gave myself birthday words of kindness.
Perhaps this is as good a time as ever to start. After all, I have now supposedly approached the pinnacle of my life. Seems like wisdom is a natural part of that.
Here it goes…
Dear Andrea,
Wow, what a year you’ve just gone through. Let me help you think back on the last 12 months.
- Not only did you obtain the change management certification you’ve always had your eye on, but you managed to snag two promotions at your job.
2. You spoke at events and board meetings in London, Chicago and Las Vegas.
3. You stood up to your values when others were trying to tempt you with shiny objects.
4. You pushed through a negative work culture by volunteering to motivate others (all outside the scope of your work I may add).
5. Despite your success at work, you continued to put your family first, attending all of your kids’ special events and being there when they most needed you.
6. Also despite your success at work, you had the courage to quit your job to follow your passion.
7. You started your own company. You attended a conference as your new company. You got four clients.
8. You wrote the first 30,000 words of your first book all in one month.
9. You started blogging consistently on LinkedIn and Medium.
10. You walked on fire. Seriously, did you remember how you did that without getting injured? (Note: I’m not crazy, it was a Tony Robbins thing.)
11. You started volunteering, both at the local animal shelter and as a board member for the local writer’s organization.
12. Last, but not least, you did all of this while fighting anxiety and the nightmares that still haunt you from your past.
No wonder you’re exhausted! But hey you’ve never looked and felt better.
I’m so proud of your strength, perseverance and always sticking up for what is right.
You’ve owned this past year, not taking any moment of it for granted.
With any new phase there are ups and downs. Remember that the downs are just a way to tell you that you are getting closer to a turning point.
And boy, you have a lot of those coming up in 2018!
Keep pursuing your dreams. Success is yours if you want it.
May you continue to live life to the fullest.
Happy birthday!
People are often so preoccupied about getting older that they take celebration for granted.
Don’t ever, EVER, forget all the good things that can happen to you in one short year.
Once you change your perspective you change your world.
Look at your next birthday as simply another chance to appreciate the last 12 months. Choose to see the glass half full.
Be fearless. Own who you are and love it. Join our journey of empowerment by following us and/or sharing your story. Contact Andrea at andrea@sparkstory.co for more details.
Copyright 2017 Andrea Claudia All Rights Reserved
