Happy Birthday Quotes

Did you enjoy your last birthday? Was it a time of celebration, or something you dreaded, knowing that another number was being added to your age? If you want to be happy in your life and with your life, then you are going to have to accept one indisputable fact: you are getting older.

Why do some people hate celebrating their birthdays, cringing as another number gets added to their age? Women especially become more and more reluctant to say their age as they get older. They may even lie about it and there's this etiquette where it is deemed wrong to ask a woman's age. It's as though spending another year on earth is something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about.

Now this is a happiness article, so I'm not going to get all sombre on you. However, perhaps it is as we celebrate our birth, it reminds us we are getting older and that eventually we are going to die. Yet there are people who get upset about turning thirty. Perhaps they feel they've not done enough with their life. So, rather than doing something about it, they go into denial, pretending they aren't getting any older.

In this society, getting older seems to be something to be ashamed of or fear. Think of the idea of an older people as being 'past it', doing nothing with their lives. And those who break our perception are deemed 'young at heart'. It's as though only the young know how to live. Maybe if we stop stereotyping older people, we won't fear getting older quite so much.

Anyway, research continues to suggest that the older a person is, the happier they are.

Here are some points to reflect on:

Not impressed by what you've done to date? Then it's time to make changes. Don't have anymore regrets as you continue through life.

Establish then achieve your goals. Set a plan for the year. Do it today, at the start of 2009 or on your next birthday.

Remember this quote from the manager of the band The Zimmers whose lead singer is 91: "we're old, but we're not dead".

Do things that feel right for you, regardless of age.

Reflect on what worries you about getting older. What changes can you make now, to make getting older a joy? Look after your health, manage your stress and exercise your mind. We can't predict the future (so forget about seeing fortune tellers), but we can take care of now.

Know that change happens. Rather than fight it, enjoy the journey and each phase of your life. 

You get one shot at life, so make the most of it.

Forgive sooner, appreciate the good things in your life and enjoy your time.

Finally, have a brilliant next birthday. Make the whole day a celebration.

Happy Birthday

Birthdays are a time for great celebration. When we are younger we set important time frames on different years of age. All children go through the terrible two's, that age when they just seem to get into everything as they satisfy the urge of curiosity. Then there is the age of 5 when children embark on the journey of educational success. For some children the age of 10 becomes important because they have reached age in double figures. Then there is the age of 13 that special birthday when you become a teenager. Soon after that is that magical age of sweet 16. Before you know it you have reached the legal age of 18. Now you are an adult.

Once you have reached the age of 18 you are off to college or the start of your chosen career. Then your 21st birthday arrives. This seems to be one of those most special birthdays. This is the last of those young milestones that we are so anxious to reach. From there the new birthday milestones begin to take us to another level. The next birthday on the list seems to be the age of 30. When you are 16 the age of 30 seems like it is over the hill. Once you reach the age of 30 the landmark birthdays begin to arrive in decades like 40, then 50 and then 60 and so on. The age of 40 seems to be one of the most emotional birthdays. For many it is the age where you have reached the top and are heading down the other side of the mountain.

There is no doubt that the older you become the more you value your birthdays. You may not celebrate it with a cake and ice cream but you are glad to see another. It is a fact that when we are younger we are in a rush to reach certain age milestones and that when we reach a certain age our wisdom seems to change and we want it all to slow down. Once we reach the age of 40 we begin to evaluate our position in life. What have we done? Have we left our mark on the world? The age of reflection begins. We begin to examine our lives through a microscope.

There are so many special birthdays in our lives. We celebrate our own and then we celebrate those of our family and friends. Birthdays should be important to us. It is the one day of the year that belongs to us individually. It is our day. The emotions of this day are often shared in the form of poetry. Say Happy Birthday to someone you love with a special poem today.