10 Wishes, by Marci Shimoff
Today is my birthday (52, but who’s counting!). Do you remember the childhood excitement of celebrating a birthday? Perhaps my favorite part was making a wish and blowing out the candles. I never doubted my wish would come true, and it always felt like magic!
This weekend I got a blast from the past when my whole family gathered for an early birthday celebration in my mother’s home. We sat around the same dining room table (circa 1954) as we had done so many times in the past.
As the cake came out and everyone sang to me, I was so excited to get to make a wish and blow out the candles (they kindly included only seven). I felt like I was 7 years old again, getting to wish for ANYTHING I wanted–and have it!
Wishes are magic. They are the energetic opening to life’s full potential–they open your heart to possibilities. Unlike goals, wishes are your fantasy dreams. You can hold them more lightly than goals. They put you in a childhood place of innocence. Being in touch with your heart’s desires is a way to connect more deeply with yourself.
Birthdays remind us that our days on earth are numbered. Some Eastern traditions believe we are given a specific number of breaths at the time of our birth, which inspires me to make the most of each day, even each moment. As Jonathan Swift said, “May you live all the days of your life.”
It’s easy to take our days for granted and spend them carelessly, as if they were an unlimited resource. What if instead we cherished each one, even treating it as we would our last?
A dear friend of mine passed away unexpectedly in October. I’m still trying to absorb the loss and the simple fact that I will not see him again in this lifetime or hear his unique laugh or goofy jokes. With each passing year we feel the richness of this life more intensely. We realize life is a gift–one with a non-negotiable expiration date!
This year I wish to make each day as full to the brim as possible. One of my early spiritual teachers said we should write down ten wishes on our birthday, because on this date the planets align for us, and our wishes are 1,000 times more powerful than on any other day of the year.
Writing down your wishes can be freeing–and you can be happy just thinking about them. Will you join me now? Remove all limits. Open your heart and believe again.
Here all’s you do:
Write 10 wishes for the year. If you could have anything, what would you wish for?
Post your wishes where you will see them every day. Remind yourself that you deserve they all come true.
Every morning ask yourself: What would I do today if I knew it was my last day on earth? Then do it!
Today I’m celebrating in Tumbes, Peru, where I’ll be speaking tomorrow, and I’m about to go off to the beach to write my wish list. It’s sure to include: appear on Dancing with the Stars, learn how to sing in tune, and complete a fabulous manuscript for Love for No Reason (that’s definitely a goal, too).
At the top of my list is my wish for you…
I wish you great happiness, health, and well-being and a life overflowing with the fulfillment of your wishes to your heart’s content. Most of all, may you be happy for no reason every day of your life!
Happy Day to you,
Marci Shimoff
About the Author:
Marci Shimoff is a celebrated transformational leader and #1 New York Times best-selling author (click here to purchase her fantastic book Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out
To learn more of her powerful techniques for establishing deep and authentic happiness and well-being, visit www.HappyForNoReason.com
