today is my birthday and i am reminded that the words “happy birthday” are always followed by one inevitable question, “what do you want?”   and this year, instead of requesting some new hot gadget from all of my facebook friends, blog readers, and twitter followers to see who loves me the most, i’m doing something different.  one request for everyone.  instead of a gift, i would like each one of you to make some extraordinary choice this week.  what choice you make is completely up to you.  all i’m asking is that you look for an unexpected solution to some problem you are having, do something amazing for someone in your life, or search for non-conventional paths to get to where you want to go…just do something that is remarkable/exceptional.  that’s it.

need help, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• instead of saying you don’t know your passions, commit 5 hours this weekend to explore a few potential options (basket weaving and stamp collecting are good places to start if you don’t have any ideas)
• text message someone you love and ask them what could make their day better today and surprise them by doing whatever they say
• take someone from work out to lunch with you, just make sure they need it (financially, someone to talk to, etc)
• quit your job and do that idea you have been talking about for a while
• take time to think about what your teacher or boss is expecting for that assignment they gave you, spend some time thinking about how you can push it to a level far beyond their expectations…then do it.

oh, and let me know what you want for your birthday so that i can be sure to return the favor.