12 Tips for Having a Happy Birthday!

(The “happy birthday Dr. Seuss” photograph is courtesy of phantom kitty).

“I wish we could do what they do in Katroo.
They sure know how to say “Happy Birthday To You!”
In Katroo, every year, on the day you were born
They start the day right in the bright early morn.
When the birthday Honk-Honker hikes high up Mt. Zorn
And lets lose a big blast on the Big Birthday Horn.
And the voice of the horn calls out as it plays:
“Wake up! For today is your day of all days!”
“Happy Birthday to You!” — Dr. Seuss

Below you will find 12 tips you can apply every year on your birthday to help you make sure that it’s a happy one:

1. Establish a tradition of investing $25.00 in the business of a third world entrepreneur every year on your birthday through “www.kiva.com”. It’s an investment, not a donation, so when the entrepreneur’s business takes off you get your money back. When you’re reimbursed you can flip the money and invest in another business through kiva. This way, someone else benefits each year from the fact that you were born.

2. Decorate your door with balloons. Nothing quite says “it’s my birthday” like colorful balloons filled with helium.

3. Establish another tradition: every year on your birthday plant a tree. We’ve all seen–or at least should see–Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”. We’re wrecking havoc on our planet and planting a tree every year is a small way to help make amends for the damage we’re causing.

“Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

– Jack Benny

4. Create a list of 100 things that you’re grateful for. Although we should strive to live in a state of continuous gratitude–for our health, our loved ones, having enough to eat, having a roof over our heads, and so on–your birthday is an ideal day in which to reflect on all of the blessings in your life. Give thanks for the gift of life!

5. Plan what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on your birthday, and include all of your favorite foods. For those of you on a diet, forget counting calories and leaving out carbs for today. Indulge!

6. Create a list of 100 things you want to do before you die: a bucket list. A lot of people are reminded on their birthday that the years are going by. As long as you’re using your time productively and moving toward achieving the things you want for yourself, there’s nothing wrong with the passage of time. Creating a bucket list is a great way to make sure that you accomplish your major goals for this lifetime. For guidelines on how to create your bucket list and for suggestions on things you might want to include on your list, visit my squidoo lens at “100 Things To Do Before You Die – Creating a Bucket List”.

7. Treat yourself to a spa day. If you haven’t tried reflexology, do it now. Also, get a facial and a hydro water massage.

8. Announce to random strangers that it’s your birthday. Tell everyone you meet that it’s your birthday–from cashiers at the drugstore, to the waiter who serves you lunch, to the lady you bump into as you walk out of the gym . . . Everyone deserves an opportunity to congratulate you on this auspicious occasion.

9. Get yourself a gift. No one knows what you want better than you; so go ahead and treat yourself. Have it wrapped in the prettiest paper they have in the store and insist that they add a bow, even if you’re going to tear it open as soon as you get home.

“The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune.” – English Proverb

10. Take a tip from Hugh Heffner: have “Casa Blanca” night every year on your birthday. This can mean anything you want it to, but it has to include the watching of the classic movie with Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.

11. Get the book “Happy Birthday to You” by Dr. Seuss and read it every year on your birthday (the quote at the top of this post is from that book).

12. Watch the “Funny birthday bloopers compilation” on “YouTube”.