We are currently in the middle of a large retail campaign known as "Christmas in July". I am not exactly certain of its origin, but it appears as if it goes back to the 1940's when there was a film of the same name and the United States Postal Service promoted an early Christmas mailing campaign for soldiers serving overseas during World War II. Nowadays, "Christmas in July" means online retail sales galore and the Hallmark Channel running their original Christmas movies 24/7 to coincide with the release of the year's Keepsake Ornament in their stores. Amazon even gets a piece of the action since they schedule their "Prime Day" every year on the second Tuesday in July. Christmas in July may mean nothing more to you than thinking of snow and ice as a way to bring relief from the extreme summer heat. For the early shoppers among us, it is arguably "the most wonderful time of the year"! While I consider myself an organized and early shopper, July is a bit too early for me to have UPS stacking boxes on my porch that won't be needed for another five months! Besides, I am an Amazon Prime customer and since that means free two-day shipping and great prices, every day is Prime Day for me! This is exactly what made me think that we should apply this same PRIME DAY concept to the way we live our lives.
Kids are much better at this than adults. They don't wait for a big holiday or a special day marked on the calendar to treat themselves to the good stuff. They ask for extra sprinkles, reach for seconds on dessert, and go for the Jumbo Crayola Crayons 64-count box even when it is not their birthday. They don't worry about calories or saturated fat or waiting for coupon codes...they know what they want and they know how to ask for it! You never hear a kid say "oh, I decided not to celebrate my birthday anymore" or "I am dreading my birthday this year." That would be absurd! If you are a parent, you make sure that you shower your children (whether they are young or grown) with adoration, gifts and all of their favorite things on their birthdays and at the holidays. Yet, as adults we are looking for Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak when people are approaching us with a cake that has a candle in it for every year we have been alive! I know people who treat their birthday like 'Leap Year' and only celebrate in the milestone years!
When my sons were young, I even had a "Life Is Good" Rewards Program in place to teach them the importance of rewarding good behavior with special treats. Unfortunately, I never implemented such a program for myself!
Isn't the most wonderful thing about your birthday and Christmas (or the holiday that you celebrate) that they are the few times of the year when you can not only DREAM BIG, you can also ASK BIG? When asked by a family member or friend: "What would you like?", it is your chance to say "I'd love the triple layer chocolate cake from my favorite bakery" or "You know, I could really use a gift certificate for a massage". Perhaps you have a personal tradition of buying yourself something special each year for your birthday. Or maybe you use the pre-Christmas sales as an excuse to buy your favorite products for yourself while you are shopping for others. Either way, I think it's high time that we start ASKING BIG on more than one or two occasions per year! Why can't EVERY day be Prime Day?
I think that during this year's "Christmas in July" we should each make a promise to ourselves that starting now we are going to treat ourselves better. I would love to hear you say that, from now on, you are going to give yourself permission to treat yourself on a regular basis. It could be something as simple as taking the 20-minute naps you have long dreamed about, or enjoying a small indulgent treat each day (without guilt!) or saving up and buying yourself something you have always wanted. We could even start treating ourselves better by saying "thank you" when someone pays us a compliment instead of deflecting and making excuses (yes, I am talking to you....you know you have done this).
If we work on treating ourselves well, each and every day will not only be better, they will actually become special and memorable. Schedule that massage that is long-overdo and much needed! Take yourself to your favorite restaurant or to the movie you have been wanting to see! Take time off from work and spend the day doing nothing but relaxing! Put on an eye mask and take a nap! Ask for extra sprinkles!
Make every day PRIME DAY and you will be well on your way to feeling better and living your best life!