Reflections on My Birthday

Birthdays often become a time of reflection—am I moving in the right direction? Am I closer to the life I want? This year, I decided to revisit what I had journaled on my birthday a year ago. What I read was eye-opening.

In 2023 I had started a practice of waking up early enough to enjoy some quiet time alone.  As someone who always gets to the office early, this meant getting up at 4 or 4:30 each morning.  I didn’t do anything that most would consider important.  Sometimes I would meditate.  Sometimes I would journal.  Sometimes I just stared at my phone.  But I always enjoyed my delicious coffee and quiet. I didn’t have a perfect track record with this practice, but I did it often enough that it started making a difference. And when I skipped it, I really felt it. Here is what I wrote on January 23, 2024:

“I don’t know if writing every day is changing my life, but I do know it’s mine. I don’t know anyone else who would get up at 4 a.m. just to do this. That makes it uniquely my thing, and it feels so good to have something that’s just for me. It’s a reminder that I am still here—that I exist outside of my work. I have passions, likes, and dislikes, and that part of me wants to be free. I’m proud of myself for allowing that side of me to grow. It’s still new, still in need of practice, but it’s relieved to finally emerge from beneath the busyness and demands of work. So today, on my birthday, I’m congratulating myself for investing time in something important to me—not for recognition or money, but because it makes me feel more like myself.”

When I read this, I was struck by my own words. This entry adds to the growing evidence that my “dramatic” decision to walk away from my job didn’t happen overnight. It had been a long time in the making, born from listening to my thoughts and feelings and paying attention to what I truly needed.

A year later, I still wake up early, even though I no longer have to rush off to an office. I still cherish the quiet mornings, sometimes meditating and journaling, but always with a cup of delicious coffee in hand.

How are you finding ways to listen to your emotions and feelings? How are you investing in yourself? These practices can sometimes feel frivolous or hard to understand. But with consistency, you might just unlock something amazing for yourself.