Today is my birthday and I am SO excited! I love everything about birthdays–cake, presents, candles to blow out (LOTS of candles to blow out–oh well) and fun messages from friends and family.

I think another reason that I so love celebrating birthdays is because I am finally at a place in my life where I am comfortable in my own skin, confident in my various roles and at ease with the way in which my life is unfolding. Sure–I still have things that I struggle with (hello swimming suits and caffeine addiction) and there are still occasional moments when I want to punch a hole in the wall. On the whole though–life is good and I feel truly blessed to have a life that I love and a future that excites me.

As I look back on my life, I am astounded at how much different life feels to me now at 45 than it did at 35. So many things have changed in the last decade that as I look back, I hardly recognize the person that I once was. Ten years ago, I was on the precipice of what would be the biggest battle of my life thus far. I was struggling in a downward spiral of a marriage and facing an uphill battle with an eating disorder. I was scared, desperate and lost. I’ll tell you this though–as messed up as that girl was, I’m proud of her. She went through some hard things, fell apart, put herself back together, worked her butt off and somehow managed to piece together a good life for herself and her sons.

I wish I could have lunch with that sweet, crazy, scared younger version of myself. I’d put my arms around her, give her a big hug, look her straight in the eyes and tell her that she was going to have to fight like hell for the life that she deserved, but that if she did fight, she would get it. I’d also pass on to her a few other pieces of wisdom that I’ve gained over the last decade…

I LOVE LOVE LOVE birthdays–especially mine. I love my birthday so much that I don’t just relegate the celebration to one day, instead I’ll celebrate all week and sometimes all month. It’s not because I’m self absorbed or selfish, it’s simply because I LOVE being alive. In my job as Executive Director for a nonprofit breast cancer support center, I have witnessed far too many precious lives be cut short due to disease. That harsh reality has given me a much greater appreciation for the incredible miracle that is life and a joyful anticipation for each new day, week and year that I am blessed to live.

This week is my birthday week. In a few short days I will turn 45 and I am ECSTATIC about that. I mean–there will be cake, presents, cards and text messages from friends–what’s not to be ecstatic about? Yes, there’s the whole getting older bit, but I’m okay with that. I’m actually thrilled with that. I have seen women younger than myself not have the opportunity to get older so I absolutely refuse to complain about aging. I believe with all of my heart that aging is a gift. Oh sure, I’ll color my hair and slather on eye cream like nobody’s business, but overall, I am in love with the idea of getting older and I am thankful to have the opportunity to do so.

One of my favorite things about my birthday (besides the presents–I LOVE presents!) is the opportunity that it presents for me to take a good look at my life and reassess the direction in which I am headed. I always set my intentions for a given year in January when everyone else is making resolutions, but since my birthday is roughly mid-year, I like to use it as a time to check my course, evaluate my progress toward my goals and make any course corrections that are needed. I refer to this process as my annual Life Audit. 

Nothing contributes to a truly FabYOUlous life more than the confidence that comes from knowing that we are doing the very thing that we were put upon this earth to do. Without a clear sense of purpose, life can be a struggle of confusion, disillusionment, and exhaustion. A life on purpose however; is one that is filled with energy, passion and enthusiasm.

Why are we here? What is our mission in life? The Japanese call it ikigai–one’s reason for being. We call it one’s truest expression of FabYOUlousness.  The good news is that, according to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai. Finding it might require some soul searching and struggle–but once it’s found, it can bring incredible meaning, joy and FabYOUlousness to life. Dan Baker, Ph.D. and coauthor of What Happy People Know says “if you’re not sure what your purpose is, then your purpose is to find a passion.”