Plan a Perfect Birthday for Yourself and Enjoy Truly Beautiful Living
Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!
Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!
This post was inspired by my recent birthday which was the best one I can ever remember celebrating. Let me tell you a little about my day.
My habit for many years has been to take my birthday off and to also allow everyone who works for me to take their birthdays off with pay. When my sons still lived in the area, they would join me for a round of golf. They have been gone south for several years so I have been looking for a new way to enjoy the day.
This year my wife kindly offered to take the day off and join my revels.
The first hint that this was going to be a special day was when I awoke to discover the temperature was over 60 degrees and heading over 70 and the sky was perfectly blue. Many times I've celebrated my birthday at 22 degrees during sleet storms. I decided to enjoy the day outdoors as much as possible.
One of our favorite restaurants where we haven't eaten in years has an outdoor dining area. We headed there and were thrilled to find it open. Aside from an occasional leaf falling onto the table, the day felt like late August. The wine list yielded a half bottle of a favorite wine of ours that we hadn't imbibed in over a decade. The food was wonderful, the service was terrific . . . and everything just felt great.
From there we took a long walk along the river and enjoyed watching the crews preparing for their weekend races. In the neighborhood were many favorite haunts. We ducked into several small art museums and looked at old favorites we hadn't seen in five years. From there, we headed north towards a magnificent Miro ceramic mural. Along the way, we bumped into an old friend who took us on an impromptu tour of the area.
Being a little tired from our walk, we headed towards a coffee house and had delicious cafe mochas. The tables were crowded and a nice lady kindly let us join her. Pretty soon we had struck up a conversation and learned many interesting things about her life.
As the sun set, we headed towards the movie theater to see a film that had interested both of us. After fun with the movie, we had dinner at a local restaurant we like and headed home. At that point, I was deluged with telephone calls from family and friends who had been trying to reach me since 8 a.m.
I went to bed tired, but happy. It was perfect!
Here are some of the lessons I learned from this experience:
1. Allow for some flexibility in your planning to take advantage of unexpected conditions.
In my case, this meant being able to spend a long, lovely day outdoors in a favorite setting that's rarely attractive in November.
2. Welcome company.
Having someone you love with you and meeting new people can make the day sweeter.
3. Get back in touch with places and things you love.
I don't recall a day filled with so much positive nostalgia. It was great!
4. Employ your time flexibly.
We spent more time on things that were the most fun and didn't adhere to a schedule. This meant we didn't eat dinner until 9:30 . . . but that was the best use of the day.
5. Explore anything that captures your attention.
We hadn't been in some places we visited and were fascinated by what we found. By mixing the new with the old, it gave the day a special balance.
6. Be child-like in your choices.
The simplest pleasures are usually the most delightful ones. Although we did anything we wanted during the day, the cost was less than what most of my birthdays have totaled.
7. Turn your cell phone off.
You can't play hooky if everyone can reach you. That escape from pressing clients, concerned family members and tempests in a teapot was one of the best parts of the day.
8. Pace yourself.
You're not used to doing this much in a day. Give yourself time to drink it all in from time to time. Sitting down and enjoying being alive will give you a spiritual respite from your energetic activities.
9. Don't be tied to tradition unless you want to be.
I didn't have a birthday cake . . . but I didn't want one. There are other desserts I prefer, and I enjoyed one of them!
10. Splurge a little.
Being able to treat yourself a little better than usual makes the day more fun. My father-in-law and mother-in-law had provided ample birthday funds so we were also able to enjoy some post-birthday fun as well.
11. Take charge.
In some families, other people insist on planning every birthday. Take a break from that for your next birthday. Being in charge is often more fun.
12. Take time to be in beautiful surroundings for as much of your day as possible.
Those wonderful surroundings will make your own mood more beautiful.
May your next birthday be your best one ever!
A billionaire has a problem. A birthday provides all those who want favors a chance to curry a little favor. Presents, notes, singing kangaroos, gorilla-suited strippers, large gatherings of family and friends, and interruptions that may not all be welcome will abound. The billionaire will feel like a queen or a king for a day . . . but it's not the same as beautiful living.
As I write this material, I am reminded of the videos of Dennis Kozlowski's wife's famous two million dollar birthday party. I wouldn't have enjoyed even being a guest at that bash.
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N.B. As you can tell, I'm experimenting with color. Let me know what you like and what I should change about my use of color. Many thanks to Linda Grace for her suggestions which I am following!
Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.
Here are some upcoming subjects:
Sunday, I will share with you the pleasures of Bible study groups.
On Monday, let's look at how to enjoy being with your cousins more.
Tuesday, the subject is being a great aunt or uncle.
Wednesday, we'll consider great ways to enjoy breakfast better than a billionaire.
August 31 was the most frequently read blog entry to date. Be sure to check it out!
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Live Spiritually Better than a Billionaire at http://livespirituallybetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,
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Enjoy Mansions Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoymansionsbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,
Enjoy Football Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoyfootballbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/ and
Be a World Hero Better than a Billionaire at http://beaworldherobetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/.
I offer individual on-line tutorials and in-person seminars on living better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day, creating 2,000 percent solutions (20 times the results with the same effort), developing more profitable business models and designing strategies that work regardless of the business environment. For information, contact me at ultimatecompetitiveadvantage@yahoo.com.
I am available to you as a speaker on these subjects. You can find my background at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005_08_30_livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars_archive.html/.
May God bless you.
Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge
Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell
posted by Donald Mitchell @ 8:55 AM
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