It's my birthday month, which would ordinarily be a cause for a four-week long celebration in my life. I'll admit it - I can be pretty obnoxious while prancing around with an invisible tiara on my head, shouting "It's Scorpio season!" from the rooftops all November long. However, this year my birthday-planning process didn't begin back in September like it usually does. I haven't felt as excited. I'm turning (yawn) 22, and I didn't see much of a reason to celebrate. "I'm only turning 22," I thought. "The big 21 was last year; the milestone 25 is still down the road. Blink 182 didn't even write a song about this one." I was beginning to feel as if my 22nd birthday should simply be treated as the anniversary of my 21st, but i couldn't have been more wrong. Here are 4 reasons why 22nd birthdays are truly something to celebrate:

1. Congrats, Grad!

If you attended a four year college right after high school, you're graduating this year! College graduation is one of the biggest accomplishments in a person's lifetime, and most of us will be 22 when it happens. My bachelor's degree sounds like a pretty great birthday gift to me.

2. Financial Security

A new degree means a new job. What better feeling could there be than getting your first real paycheck from your first real job? Starting your career is exciting and rewarding, and doing so at the young age of 22 is quite impressive.

3. New Experiences

After graduating and accepting a job, the chances that you'll be living in a new place are pretty high. At 22, you'll get to meet new people, explore new areas, and try things that you weren't able to at any other age before.

4. Another Year Is Always A reason To Celebrate

Each day is a blessing, so another whole trip around the sun is truly a gift. Cheers!

Turning 22 should not be treated as irrelevant, boring, or insignificant. It will be a year of accomplishments, transitions, changes, and overall excitement! I'll keep these little reminders in the back of my mind while I'm celebrating my own 22nd birthday in a few weeks, because I deserve to. All of the 22 year olds deserve to. We've spent our whole lives working toward what we'll finally see this year, so (thanks to 21) let's drink to that!