How I Got My 4-Day Birthday Celebration

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

This past week was amazing for me. First of all, Spring is officially here. The Earth is awakening and so am I. Big change is on the horizon. Can you feel that?

Second of all, Thursday was my birthday. It’s become sort of a tradition for me, to spend a day at a spa for my birthday. This year was no exception. I LOVE getting pampered, and spending time alone reflecting about my life in the Quiet Room.

I’m so grateful for all the friends, family and colleagues who sent me wonderful birthday wishes, by greeting cards, phone calls, emails and on Facebook. I appreciate YOU!!

This year I got a special 4-day birthday celebration, including the spa day. No, I didn’t plan for it to happen this way, and that’s why it was extra special. Curious? Let me tell you how it happened.

My coaches mastermind group planned to watch Dr. Wayne Dyer’s new movie “The Shift”, and they happened to pick the night before my birthday. The movie was amazing and my mastermind pals gave me a surprise birthday celebration too! My favorite spiritual teacher and girlfriends on the same night – what’s not to like?!! The birthday cake was just gravy (actually it was a yummy chocolate cake, but you know what I mean.)

On my actual birthday, I followed my “birthday tradition” of spending a day at the spa. I LOVE getting pampered, and spending some time alone reflecting about my life in the Quiet Room. This year I got an 8:30 AM appointment for massage, because that was the only time available with my favorite massage therapist on that day. If you know me, you know I’m not a morning person at all. I didn’t like the idea of having to get up early for a spa day, but, it was worth it. When I got there, I was the only person at the steam shower, and again at the Quiet Room. I got to savor my cappuccino and fresh fruits in complete silence. It’s as if I’ve got the ENTIRE spa to myself. Ah, it felt FABULOUS! By the time I finished my massage, the Quiet Room was no longer quiet, which made me appreciate my quiet moment even more.

The next day (Friday), my little sister came from NY to take me out for lunch. We haven’t seen each other for months! We’re both busy with our work and family (she has 3 kids and I have two). I know how busy she and her husband are, and her kids are involved with so many after-school activities. Even though this is the closest we’ve ever lived from each other, it just seems like it’s very difficult to find time to get our families together. Needless to say, I’m SO happy that she made a point to come out to celebrate my birthday with me!! We got a couple hours of sister time over lobster salad, wine and window shopping at the mall. As it turned out, her office in NYC is not that far from another mall in NJ, which is a perfect mid-point for us to meet. Why didn’t I think of that before? I’ve been so fixated on getting our two families together that I didn’t see the possibility of spending alone time with my sister. Now that our kids are a little older and we both have some flexibility in our work schedule, we could meet for lunch on weekdays. Getting our two families together will still take some advance planning, but the two of us will hopefully see each other more often. Yay for more sister time!!

I took my children out for dinner on my birthday, but my husband couldn’t join us. We were planning to have my birthday cake after he came home, but, the kids fell asleep before he did. Friday night my daughter was out with her friends, so we couldn’t have the cake either. To be honest, I was a little bummed. Then Saturday, my husband saved the day by suggesting that we check out a restaurant we’ve never been to, and have my birthday cake there. Finally I had an “official” birthday celebration with my family, and it was well worth the wait.

Now you know how I ended up with a 4-day birthday celebration. As I said, I didn’t plan for it to happen this way, but, everything happened better than I could have planned. I was again reminded that, when things don’t go “my way”, there might be a better plan for me. I also learned that sometimes it takes thinking out of the box to get what I want.

How do you celebrate your birthday? What do you do to nurture yourself on your birthday (and every day)? You know, I used to feel guilty for treating myself to a spa day, or anything just for ME. Now I’m older and wiser. Haha! But, seriously, if you feel guilty about nurturing yourself, perhaps you can look at Intensive Self-Care from a different perspective.

For me, as a business owner, a solopreneur, I know how important it is to take good care of myself. After all, my business will not exist without me. I treat my annual birthday spa day not as an unnecessary expense or selfish luxury. I treat it as an important business investment.

Even if you are not a business owner, your well-being is critical for your personal success and the well-being of your loved ones. And Intensive Self-Care is not just about taking care of yourself physically or pampering treatments. It includes nurturing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Intensive Self-Care is not a luxury, or being selfish. It’s an essential practice for your long-term well-being and success. It’s like putting on your own oxygen mask FIRST, so you can take better care of others.

How can you look at self-care from a different perspective, so you can practice Intensive Self-Care without guilt? What self-care practices can you incorporate into your daily life? For more ideas, download your FREE Intensive Self-Care Kit.

Take good care of yourself, because you are irreplaceable!

About the Author: Hueina Su is an internationally recognized expert in helping people find the missing PEACE and POWER in their stressful lives. She co-stars with Jack Canfield and Marci Shimoff in the ground-breaking personal development movie The Keeper of the Keys (Dec.11). Hueina is a Mindful Wellness Expert, international keynote speaker, best-selling author of Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul: 7 Keys to Nurture Yourself While Caring for Others, Founder & Master Coach of Beyond Horizon Coaching. What sets her apart from other experts is the 5,000 years of ancient Chinese culture and wisdom behind her. She started her first career as a RN, and has more than 23 years of experience in nursing, coaching, counseling, speaking, training, nonprofit management, sales, and small business. She is on a mission to empower one million women to nurture their true self, reclaim their Peaceful Power, and create a life of their CHOICE. For more information about Hueina’s speaking, coaching and products, visit www.HueinaSu.com ©Hueina Su You may reprint this article in your blog or e-zine as long as the author by-line and website information remain intact.