I celebrated my birthday last week!
I was really grateful for all the social media birthday love that came my way. Facebook makes a girl feel special on her special day.
(If you want a birthday party dish that everyone will love, make some grilled peaches. Seriously. Yum.)
So. Birthdays.
A great time to assess what’s what. Are you doing what you really want to be doing with your life?
And if not, are you ready to start?
A trend I’ve been noticing lately (both in myself and my fellow actors) is the trap of the “if-then” syndrome.
IF I get this part, THEN I’ll feel happy.
IF I land that agent, THEN I’ll be successful.
IF I get a lot of money, THEN I’ll stop being stressed out.
IF I have more time, THEN I’ll start having fun.
You’ve been there right?
There is an unhealthy attachment to the the goal as THE THING.
I fall into this trap from time to time, so I imagine you probably do too.
So let this be a reminder to us both that the goal is not the thing.
Yes, goals are important. They give us direction, they help us stay focused.
And that’s all well and good.
But if you’ve ever worked your little butt off to get a specific goal, only to finally get it and think, “Wait, that’s it?” then you’ve missed something critical.
It’s silly. I like it.
So for my birthday I decided to change things up a little bit.
Instead of my usual list of things I want to make happen (ugh, it’s already exhausting when you put it that way), I’m setting goals for the experience I want to have.
Here are my new “goals”
- Love myself
- Enjoy life
That’s it. That’s what I want for my birthday. (Ok, my birthday is over, but it was the catalyst).
Not next week. Not after I get that thing. Right now.
I’m not talking about kicking back on the beach drinking a Corona. Although that is an enjoyable way to spend the day, you don’t have to go on vacation to enjoy life.
You can do it right now.
(I’m enjoying the eff out of this blog post. I love that you’re here reading it! I am excited by the idea that we are connecting, and that this might even help you have a better day! Yes! Awesome! Amazing!)
If you’re not enjoying the process, the journey, the moments, what’s the point?
I’ll leave you with two quotes, and then I want to hear from you.
“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.” -Dale Carnegie
“I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that’s not the answer.” -Jim Carrey
Leave a comment. How do you want to feel? What experience do you want to create on a daily basis? If you let yourself have that experience now, how would change the way you show up in your life? I want to hear from ya!
