“It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to…….” Remember that song? I sang it often on August 16, my birthday, because actually there was no party. For many years, I would sit back and wait for someone to throw a party for me to celebrate my birthday. That led to many years of disappointment because …….not much would happen.
I love birthdays. I love celebrating. And I love it when I can create a special celebration for others. For all the years that I spent sitting back and waiting, bitterness and disappointment would build. Then I came to the realization that if I wanted a special celebration on my birthday, then I would need to plan for it.
And, now, so it is! I do make plans for my birthday and I make sure it is a GREAT day – because that’s what makes me happy. I know I’m not the only one who sits back and waits for others to create happiness in their lives. How’s that working for you? Didn’t work very well for me – and so I changed things.
Here are some of the steps I take now to ensure that my birthday, and any other holiday, turns out exactly the way I would like it to be – so that I am creating the experience and the memories that I want …….after all, it’s my life.
- MARK IT ON THE CALENDAR.
Every fall, I buy a big wall calendar for my office and the first thing I do is mark off my birthday – it’s like a national holiday. I never work on my birthday. It’s sacred.
- START THE PLANNING PROCESS.
Then I start to think about what I want it to look like and feel like on my birthday. What exactly do I want to do? Where do I want to go? Who do I want with me? I take full charge. (I’ve already started the planning for next year for when I turn 65! It’s never too early, LOL!)
- TAKE PICTURES.
I love taking photos – I love sharing photos – and I love re-visiting the photos for many weeks and months following my birthday and/or any special occasion. Capture the moments. Then be sure to document them in your Gratitude Journal 🙂 .
SO WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BUSINESS?
Once I took responsibility for my personal happiness, it just made sense to review other parts of my life, which included the financial aspect. It all goes together. Many of you, as entrepreneurs, are not taking personal responsibility for the finances of your business – you rely on your partner’s pay cheque, on your saving account, on your retirement funds or on borrowed funds from other sources.
IT’S IMPERATIVE THAT YOU TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE AND OF YOUR BUSINESS.
As far as I’m concerned, happiness is at the center of all of this. Personal responsibility starts with ‘self’ and then flows from there.
When you are happy with who you are, you will be happy with what you do. When you are happy with what you are doing, you’ll attract ideal clients. When you attract ideal clients, you make the money you want.
AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHY YOU WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HAPPINESS!
What is one thing you can do today to increase your personal happiness?
Please share your thoughts!
