Last Sunday night, I went to bed overwhelmed with joy.

It was my 37th birthday and I while I expected to get some love from my friends & family, I didn’t expect to receive over 300 messages and over 70 personalized birthday videos!  Whether the birthday greeting came from family, friends, or someone I barely know, I took each birthday message and received it with love.

And while I appreciate every person that sent a message, there is something to be said about those that took the time to really put thought and heart into their message beyond the standard ‘Happy Birthday’ or the ever-increasingly used “hbd.”

If you’ve been following my journey, you know I send personalized videos to ALL my Facebook friends on their birthday. It’s a gesture that, I believe, is a sure fire way to make a meaningful impression and what led to receiving all of those videos.

For me, the perfect birthday greeting is heartfelt and includes one or more of the following:

A fond memory you shared together.
Admiration/Praise about who they are.
A “Thank You” for what they’ve brought to your life.
A sincere wish you have for them for the year ahead.
*Bonus: make it something they can keep and watch/read over & over again.

Your gesture doesn’t necessarily need to be a video. It can be whatever feels most authentic to you, like a hand written card, FaceTime call, well-thought-out text, or a face to face acknowledgement. And honestly, you don’t need to be someone’s best friend to share the love, nor does it even need to be the person’s birthday!

All it takes is a desire to care and 15-20 seconds of your time. I guarantee it will be a welcomed surprise and make any friend smile. And besides, you never know what a kind gesture (aka a ‘LOVEBOMB’) can do for someone and your relationship!  Side note: This exact concept was the inspiration for my TEDx talk and also why I’m creating the LOVEBOMB app 🙂

If you’re curious to hear how I spent my birthday and what I did with all the videos I received, then tune into Episode 207 of Are You Being Real! I also share some thoughts on how to avoid ‘the birthday blues’ and why I think we should acknowledge people on days that are NOT their birthday.

We all appreciate being loved, so why limit it to one day a year?!

Wishing you a week of birthday-like celebration!

Much love,
Mark

PS: If this resonated with you, share it out so others too can benefit! Forward it to a friend or feel free to share it on your social feeds.