As I get older, I more often hear people describe their birthdays as “just another day”- like it’s not a big deal. They don’t care if anyone knows, don’t care if they do anything for it, and just really don’t pay it much attention. For those of you who fall in this category, shame on you! We all know that each day is a blessing, a gift…a chance to start over and try again. Well a birthday is a celebration of all of that, it’s a celebration of YOU. What could be a bigger deal than that? For those of you who dwell on the idea of age and dread the coming birthdays because it means you’re getting older, quit focusing on the negative! Something that Oprah once said stuck with me…

“I’m not getting older, I’m just becoming more myself”

Now that’s a perspective I can get behind. I absolutely love that and can relate to that more than most things these days, as anyone who has been on this journey with me knows. Every day I learn more about who I am and what I really want from this life, becoming more my authentic self each day. A birthday provides the perfect opportunity to look back and reflect on how far I’ve really come. It’s not as easy to say where I was mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually on some random day five years ago, but when I zero in on my birthday five years ago, I can, and I am able to learn even more from it and rejoice in the growth I see, recognize the changes I’ve made in my life, and identify areas in which I still need some work. What a cool thing! It’s like a second New Year’s Day but better! (because it’s my birthday, duh).

This year as my birthday approaches, everything feels so different from what it has in the past. I have come so far from the woman I once was, and for the first time I look past my birthday with excitement at how much farther I will go. I still have so much growing to do, so much still to learn- to experience, and I can’t wait.

It is because of this that I am offering a proposal to you. My birthday is next week- August 12^th to be exact, and this year I don’t want anything except for the chance to celebrate through others- to pay forward a lot of love, and I’m hoping you will get involved. I made some Random Acts of Kindness cards that are attached in the link and you can see below. If you’re able to print them out and cut them for use then great, if not, no worries, but the point is that I would love for people to go out into their communities and do some random acts of kindness and then tell me what you did. I want to hear about all the amazing things that people are doing for others- there is no greater gift that I could ask for.

Just leave it in the comments, then beam a beautiful smile at yourself in the mirror for being an incredibly beautiful human being.

I’m so excited! Have a blast!

RAK Birthday Cards