Today it’s my birthday. When I was a kid our parents made a big thing out of birthdays. We’d go to bed the night before excited about waking up in the morning with that special feeling of ‘it’s my birthday‘. It’s some of my fondest childhood memories and this is what would happen.
Memories from my childhood birthdays
Once we’d fallen asleep our parents would sneak into our bedrooms and hang up balloons. I remember sometimes waking up by myself on my birthday and immediately getting that it’s-a-special-day-so-I’m-completely-wide-awake feeling. I’d look around and see the balloons hung at various places in the room, turn a little in my bed and have butterflies in my stomach. It was finally my birthday.
Sometimes I could hear my family outside the room whispering and getting ready. Sometimes I would would be asleep up until the point where they opened the door and started singing…
Ja må hon leva! Ja må hon leva! Ja må hon leva uti hundrade år! Javisst ska hon leva! Javisst ska hon leva! Javisst ska hon leva uti hundrade år! Hurra, hurra, hurraaa!
From the Swedish birthday song Ja må hon leva!
As they approached my bed I’d sit up and a tray would be placed in my lap. On the tray there was always a vase with fresh flowers, a small Swedish flag made of wood, a couple of gifts and that bowl of glass with leaves on it that contained vanilla ice cream and a few sprinkled sweets like gummy bears and gumdrops. Ice cream in bed, with sweets, and for breakfast. That was special as a kid.
Whilst I opened the gifts on the tray and ate my ice cream everyone would sit down on the bedside or stand nearby. Then we’d go into the kitchen where the table would already be set and ready for breakfast. And there would be a big pile of stacked gifts by the birthday person’s seat.
Remembering people
We are five kids in my family so there were a lot of birthdays. Still my parents would make an effort to make sure every birthday we would got the same special birthday wake up. And they’d get friends and family together at the nearest weekend to celebrate where my mum would cook amazing food and make delicious cakes. We were always made to feel very special on our birthdays and no matter how hectic it did get around the house, they never forgot or said they didn’t have time to celebrate.
There’s much to learn from this in the workplace. Paying attention to what matters to people and giving something back is a great reward for everyone involved. Be it birthdays or everyday occasions, there are few things as touching as someone remembering something about you or doing something that you didn’t expect.
This morning I saw a tweet from one of my old colleagues saying how their cleaner at work always remembers what personal cup belongs to what desk and puts them back after they’ve been washed. It’s those little gestures and efforts that no matter who they come from make us feel special and remind us that we matter. Though I don’t have any scientific stats to back the following up with, I dare say that getting these kind of acknowledgements is sure to boost motivation and loyalty. And they make us a little happier.
Tomorrow – Day 139 – Exciting times ahead
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/zenat_el3ain/3621625591
