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I am turning thirty this year and I am SO excited for this new chapter.
My twenties were filled with sweet, loving, sometimes really difficult, really beautiful memories that I want to bottle up and keep on a shelf somewhere to look back on.
Flashing back to when I turned twenty, I was at a in-state college that wasn’t working for me and decided to move closer to home. I didn’t know what I wanted to do or where to start, and that caused a lot of strain and stress in my life at that time.
Fast forward a couple of years and I am getting a completely different degree than I intended, and doing something creative I enjoy to this day. Since then I have experienced job lay offs, met a few nice and not so nice people, found my person, lived on my own for the first time, reinvented my personal style, changed my outlook on life, and now I am about to turn thirty!
A few things I wish I told myself in my twenties
- Your ideas, thoughts, and feelings matter. Stop letting people dismiss you.
- Love yourself first and the rest will follow.
- Your twenties are your finding years. Embrace where you are in life and stop looking for the next best thing (buying a home, new career)
- You can start over anytime and form new habits! (Healthy eating, working out, meditating…)
- Get money smart NOW. I have a blog post for that [Budgeting tips for every twenty-something]
- Try and not rely on credit cards, save and save for what you want with cash as best a possible!
- Student loans, they suck! I wish I saved more for paying these off before I needed to start paying them back.
- You don’t owe anyone anything. You don’t have to give anything away, your life, your mind, your time, none of it!
- Hold your family close and make as many memories as possible.
- Protect your skin!!! Moisturizing your face, neck, and hands early will most definitely pay off. Did you know your hands age faster than many other parts of your body?
- The comparison game is brutal. Stop it with trying to mimic the same old same old Instagram trends or aesthetic…do you!!
- Value experiences over material items. I can’t believe the junk I spent so much money on and now it has either been given or thrown away.
- Birthdays are going to feel different as you get older, embrace it!
- Start saving for your 401k early.
- You don’t know anything, does anybody ever do? Always strive to be the student.
- If you don’t like large house parties, say so, if you like them, go! Don’t force social interaction when you don’t want to do it.
- Self awareness will help you in understanding your habits and how you can change or enhance them for the better. Personal growth comes from within.
- Take care of yourself, whether it be mind or body. Do things that bring you joy. You deserve it!
- Say ‘yes’ more than you say ‘no’. Sometimes you need a push to get out of your comfort zone. Try new things and see what happens!
- Love every minute of every day, you don’t get it back.
Cheers to thirty! I am so excited for what my thirties hold. I am ready for this new chapter and can’t wait to share my new adventures!
More from my 30th birthday: Take a look at my 30th birthday party blog post and how I made DIY cake toppers.