Do you remember what you did on your 27th birthday? How about your 35th birthday?

Many of us remember some of the big birthdays like our 30th or 40th because we emphasize them more. I’ll never forget the surprise party that Angela threw for my 30th birthday. Still, I have a hard time remembering other birthdays.

Everything changed when my first son Kaleb was born 8 years ago. Witnessing the miracle of childbirth firsthand is something that changed the significance of birthdays for me.

The first profound thought that came to mind was that our parents must have experienced powerful emotions (and uncertainty) when we were born. Just like our parents, Angela and I weren’t ready to be parents. Still, we made the necessary adjustments in our daily routines.

When our second son Kenji was born, I witnessed the most fantastic display of human perseverance when Angela was induced and gave birth to him—without an epidural. His birthday will always be engrained in my brain for the immense pain his mother endured.

Birthdays are a big deal for our family, and we make it a point to make them memorable. 

They are like holidays for us since we take the day off to spend with the birthday boy or girl.

How do you make birthdays more memorable?

First, we have to understand how memories work. It turns out that lasting memories are encoded by “teams” of neurons firing in synchrony, which provides redundancy to keep them alive. This theory explains why some memories fade more than others.

When it comes to birthdays, I suppose I never had enough neurons teaming up to create memories. It makes perfect sense since many of them were spent at home or at restaurants, which were routine environments.

When we started making birthdays more significant celebrations, we would get out of the routine and do something different. We change up the environment and increase positive emotions throughout the day. 

One year, I celebrated my birthday by taking our RV on her maiden voyage to St. Augustine. The next year, I went to Disney World for the first time in my life. The year after that, we were in Marsh Harbor on the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.

In 2020, I had the most epic birthday of all—the chance to spend it with my father for the first time since I was 6 years old.

This year, birthdays will include even more gratitude and appreciation for life. After losing many of our loved ones in 2020, it’s even more critical that we live and celebrate life to the fullest.

Now Over to You

We shouldn’t need Facebook Memories to remember what we did for our birthday last year. Creating positive memories enriches our lives, and creating great memories may ultimately help measure success in life.

I hope you will all start creating memorable birthdays by getting out of the routine and making them epic. Fill the day with positive emotions and add thoughtful touches like Happy Birthday yard signs or other decorations.

When I send you a text or post on your timeline on Facebook, I’ll be sending positive vibes along with them. Let’s make birthdays this year the best one yet.