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Celebrate your Birth DATE!

Daily Nuggets | | Kerry Suddes

Today is our Founder, C.S.O. (Chief Spirit Officer), and resident Old Guy’s birthday!

For 40 years (or more) Tom has encouraged every young person, old person, fundraising professional, social entrepreneur, etc., that he has come across to adopt one very effective habit for success and life balance. Tom uses his birth date (the 19th of every month) as a reminder to get some solo time – write goals, reflect on goals, celebrate – just take that one day a month to focus on yourself and you will be more effective in all areas of life.

In his honor, were are sharing some of Tom’s most inspirational words about why you should celebrate your Birthday and your Birth Date! Share this idea on social media and (1) tell us how you celebrate your birth date and (2) leave a birthday message for Tom.

Here’s a great goal/challenge: Make your BIRTH DATE a special day for YOU!

  • Do something solo. (Breakfast or coffee shop, with a journal or a book. A motorcycle or bike ride. A yoga class. Something… Alone.)
  • Then, do something special with those you love. (Spend a little time with the g-kids. Catch up with a sib or a child away from home. Have lunch with the ‘girls’ or a beverage with the ‘boys’.)
  • Do some serious journaling.
  • Do a monthly review of your goals (lifetime, this year, upcoming 90 days, etc.) and to set an Action Plan for next 30 days.
  • Take your BIRTH DATE ‘off’ – Whatever that means to you. Yes, most people will laugh or scoff at this suggestion, but if you can’t set aside even one day for yourself, once a month… things are pretty screwed up. (Note: If you can’t take your Birth Date ‘off’, surely you can take your actual BIRTHDAY off!)

Big Idea: Spend one on one time with your kids on their Birthdays! When my 5 kids were growing up, we would do special Birthday Breakfasts where we would write down goals, best friends, favorite books and movies, etc. I still have all of their thoughts captured in a special ‘Green Book’. It’s great to look back at ‘goals‘ from a 5 or 10 or 17 year old.

Note: You’re seeing a special sneak peek of our very own For Impact Font, ‘OG’, on the napkin above. Our phenomenal designer, Matt, has painstakingly scanned and cleaned up an entire alphabet, taken from Tom’s actual journals over the past 40 years. We’ll be rolling this font out in the coming months but wanted to share our excitement with a preview for our Tribe!