By Georgeann (Gigi) McCrary

Birthdays bring about different emotions for different people. Some celebrants spend their annual day having parties or personal pampering time while eliciting special recognition from friends and family. For others, birthdays bring about a sense of dread due to the fear of getting older. Then there are those who treat a birthday as just another day with no special rituals or fanfare. As I approached my birthday, I did three things: gave thanks, conducted a life review, and wrote the vision for the next phase of my life.

Give Thanks

I gave thanks for being alive to celebrate another year of life. It is by the grace of God that I live, move, and have my being. I do not take the blessing of life for granted nor should anyone. One can read headlines and browse obituaries from city to city and notice that a precious life came to a premature end. A thirty-eight year old news anchor in Columbus, Ohio lost her battle to breast cancer and a fourteen year old student succumbed to the H1N1 Virus. The reality of life is that tragedies happen and death does not discriminate. Together let us take a moment this day and everyday to give thanks.

Conduct a Life Review

Birthdays also provide the perfect opportunity to conduct a life review. Am I reaching my goals? Am I where I want to be? Have I positively impacted the lives of others? What have I done in the years that have been afforded me? These are the raw questions that I had for myself. To answer them took introspection, honesty, and a willingness to dissect the good, bad, and ugly. Challenge yourself to do your own life assessment. A life review allows one the opportunity to celebrate successes, cleanse from past disappointment and residue of despair as well as make amends where one may have fallen short. Remember: No matter where you are in life, it is never too late to change or make a difference.

Write the Vision

Finally, I wrote the vision for the next phase of my life. I sat down and seriously thought about which direction I want to go and things I want to do and accomplish. I prayed, conversed with God, wrote the vision and made it plain just as instructed in the Book of Habakkuk. No more haphazardness. I dared to dream and script my own future. My vision included utilizing my God-given gifts and abilities to love, nurture, uplift, and enhance my life and the lives of others. Join me in this endeavor. Write your vision, make it plain and let us run whole heartedly with our visions with steadfast faith and focused intention until they come to pass.

Gigi