What I found when I awoke.

Do you make things happen that you need to happen? Or do you blame the world or outside forces or the economy?

Today isn’t my book birthday. Nope, it’s not someone else’s birthday. It’s mine – the day I was born – and let me tell you, it’s a pathetic time of year for a birthday. Here is what we New Year babies hear:

“Oh, I missed your birthday because I was still recuperating from Dec 31.” Or, “I can’t eat any of your cake because I just went on my New Year’s diet!” or “I forgot all about you because I was just back to work, overwhelmed with blah blah blah.”

Okay, fine. What do you do with that?

For years it made me feel terrible. Forgotten. And it didn’t help that I grew up in a HUGE birthday house. My mom knows how to do it up, let me tell you. I didn’t even know you could make a cake from a mix until I was like, 27.

My husband cut stuff out and…

So I have learned to ask for what I want and need. I asked friends to meet me for a celebratory lunch (no gifts allowed. They do have to bring a nice thing to tell me though). I love, love, love getting happy birthday wishes on Facebook, but family should call, I think. So I told my mother-in-law, who Facebook-Happy-Birthdayed me last year that I would like an actual conversation (I won the in-law lottery with them, so really, no serious complaints there!)

It’s the same way in business. You have to make it happen. Don’t expect people to know what you want or need. And if you work for yourself, as I do, you really need to be out there to make things happen.

decorated my presents. Frankly, I’m a little worried..

I wanted to be invited to more conferences last year. So what did I do to make that happen? I wrote proposals. I plan to write even more this year.

I wanted an iPad but couldn’t afford it so what did I do? I thought positive thoughts and entered a drawing and won it. Whether you believe positive thinking really got me that wonder of technology or not, if I hadn’t entered I wouldn’t have won.

So instead of wishing something would happen, or being disappointed that nothing is happening, make it happen. It’s your life. Like the ad says, just do it.

… about a package labeled “Know Your Larvae”!