Every year I get together with my closest friends. I’m lucky enough that my closest friends are my sister and cousins. Since we’re so close, we’ve been named by other friends as the sister-cousins. It’s so important to surround myself with motivating and powerful women that make me want to be a better person, and that’s what we all are to each other. Not only are they all extremely motivated and inspiring, they also like to enjoy the ride and make the most of every moment.
Each year for our birthdays, I ask my sister-cousins a now-notorious question, “What’s your birthday slogan?”
I’ve strayed away from asking for a birthday goal because we have a habit of setting yearly goals but rarely keeping them. We’d say, “Let’s lose ten pounds this year! Let’s travel more! Let’s meet one new person a week!” All of which were amazing goals—if we stuck with them! But I never have.
So I came up with something else—the birthday slogan. The birthday slogan can be as silly as “What would Beyoncé do?” because you want to have a fierce and fearless year or as simple as “Remember to breathe,” because you want to find an inner sense of calm. Having this slogan can be the perfect way to stay focused throughout the year on what is important and what you want for the year ahead. You can even take it a step further and create a birthday slogan board. Having this visual can make a huge impact on achieving those lofty goals. The more you see something, the more likely you are to achieve it!
This year I chose Mind, Body, and Soul as my birthday slogan. I’ve been going through a big transitional period in my life, asking myself hard questions. Does my job make me happy? Am I doing things in my spare time that not only make me happy but challenge me? When I’m networking, am I actually building genuine relationships that inspire me as well as me inspire them? Am I traveling enough to feed the soul? These questions were so important to help me hone in on what I wanted my birthday slogan to be. When choosing yours, I encourage you to ask yourself these tough questions and any other big ones that might help you come up with a slogan that’s just right for you.
A few other questions you might ask are: What do I want my life to look like in a year? Am I happy with my closest relationships? What’s on my bucket list that I haven’t accomplished yet? What brings me the deepest sense of joy? When are the times I’ve felt most proud of myself thus far and why?
When I set my slogan as Mind, Body, and Soul, I wanted to enhance all my abilities and make it exciting in all three areas. The first area was Mind. When I think of enhancing my mental abilities, I look for anything that forces me to think outside the box. I also look for creative methods that can challenge me. My family is originally from Lucca, Italy, and I’ll be traveling there next year. This year I’ve taken up Italian and am learning Italian daily through a free app called Duolingo which let me know this week that I’m eight percent fluent. Every percent is a win in my eyes!
Body is the second area I wanted to enhance. For me, I enjoy working out and running, but I’ve learned that it’s not enough to just do it. I need a goal and challenge to make me feel motivated and inspired. I’ve done many triathlons and a few half Ironman’s, but my only goal for those at the time was to survive them. So my goal now for Body is to get a medal.
The third area I’m focusing on is the Soul. I always enjoy meeting new people because there are so many people in the world and not enough time to get to know them all. Everyone has a unique life story that you can learn and grow from. One way I’m working on this is by volunteering through my church. I’ve also been reading daily inspirational quotes.
Anybody can set up a slogan like Mind, Body, and Soul and then adapt it to their own dreams and aspirations. I promise you’ll set yourself up for an awesome year to remember!
Michelle Rippentrop was born in Northern California, raised in Missouri, and now resides in San Francisco where she’s been the past five years, working in the online media industry. She’s happiest when exploring and challenging herself personally. She loves sipping wine, laughing with girlfriends, hanging out with my family, and meeting new people. Follow her on Instagram!
