30 Things I've Learned in 30 Years of Being Alive!
My 30th birthday was last week!! I spent the day getting a very large and intense tattoo and have been recovering from my bed with my new e-reader ever since. I am so thrilled to be out of my 20's and to be reaching a fresh decade of life. Honestly, when I was younger, I always had a hard time imagining myself at this age, and I'm happy to report to my younger self that 30 IS possible, and in fact, it feels great to be here. I always sit down around my birthday and think about what I've learned in the years of life I've had so far. I'm a Virgo, and too reflective as a person probably, and this big list is what comes of it every year. I share these lessons here with you in the hopes that you will find some wisdom in them. Most of these are not my own original ideas necessarily, just things I've found to be true through sometimes-painful trial and error.
Enjoy my list of birthday reflections from the year 2026!
Follow your natural rhythms rather than fighting them. It's best try to find a vocation that aligns with your body's clock if you can.
Develop a relationship with pain rather than running from it or trying to numb it out. There will always be pain in your life, physical and emotional, and it's important to have healthy ways to cope with it.
Don't. Take. The. Money. Your values, your ability to own your own ideas, your vision, is all worth more than any big check. Money always comes with strings attached. You have to decide if it's worth it.
Get creative outside of the failing systems. It's the only we'll survive.
Being able to pivot, adapt, and change your mind are some of the most important skills you can have.
Sometimes, it's more important to hear what someone means, rather than what they are saying.
Never stop learning! Keep finding things that interest you and school yourself on them. Practice new skills. Learn new facts. Keep your brain agile and active for as long as you can.
Save your best ideas for yourself. Don't sell them to the first (or even highest) bidder.
Make your moves in silence. To avoid potential sabotage and unwanted pressure, share your achievements (and then the process, if you'd like to) after you're done.
If someone is yelling, but not calling your name on the street, they're not talking to you. Just keep moving.
There is very little in this life we can control. Just ourselves, and our reactions and responses to things. Better not to waste your time and energy worrying about what you have no power over anyway.
It's okay to be patient with the older cashier taking her time scanning your groceries. It's nice to let someone in when traffic is dense. You can let someone go first to get on the bus. Life is the moments in-between, why rush through them?
Keep your most important items (wallet, keys, phone) on your person rather than in a bag, if you can. Don't separate yourself from your personal belongings if you're out in the world whenever possible.
Maintain a regular movement practice that makes you happy and keeps you connected to your body. Doesn't matter what it is, though I do recommend long-distance running if you're a glutton for punishment.
You pay for things either in your energy, your money, or your time. You get to decide how expensive is too expensive and what form of "currency" you choose to expend.
Closed mouths don't get fed. Put yourself on people's radar. Put yourself out there. Ask for what you want. Pitch your cool ideas. Don't say no to yourself before anybody else can.
Not every person is the client or friend for you. It's okay to be discerning, you don't have to just accept everything that walks through the door of your life.
I cannot overstate the benefits of removing yourself and taking 3-5 deep breaths if you are feeling elevated.
Smiling at people when they expect you not to is a great way to diffuse a potential situation. Being open and friendly and kind can serve you well even if there is tension.
YOU CAN LEAVE. You have free will. You can leave a relationship, a job, a city, anything that isn't serving you. It might not be easy, there will likely be consequences, but it's always possible.
You have to take accountability and responsibility for the role you play in people's lives. Your behaviors impact the people around you. You are a part of a larger community and ecosystem whether you like it or not.
It's okay to be a solitary person by nature. I have accepted about myself that I like to be alone and I enjoy solitude, and I no longer apologize for it or try to make myself be something that I'm not.
That said, don't isolate yourself and it's good to go be out in the world, talking to people and experiencing things.
Always keep some extra cash in your shoe or in a secret pocket just in case. You never know.
Public transit is not scary once you know how to navigate being around lots of people and you stop thinking about commuting in a car frame of mind. It's so nice to be taken to your destination safely in an affordable way.
Housework is movement work. SOMEBODY has to wash the dishes, clean the stove, sweep the floor, do the laundry, run the errands. Make sure your household labor is divided equitably, and pick up after yourself!
The grass really is greener where you water it. You can't escape who you are, so building a good relationship with yourself and your life circumstances is important for you to grow.
You have to advocate for yourself, so be proactive and don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and what you need. Sometimes this means you have to be a little rude or pushy, but nobody else is going to speak up for you.
Read more books! Get off your screens! Lower your screen time by as much as possible! It's not worth it!
You get back what you put out into the world, and into yourself. You get returns on the energy you spend, so make sure it's good energy spent in the right places.
(One to grow on!) Often, it's less important to be Right than it is to be At Peace. Compromise is not failure and other people may even be right sometimes, too.
