Yes, that’s right, I just turned 30 years old. A big 3-0 victory!
With this big birthday milestone, I quietly stepped out of my twenties and entered my thirties at the beginning of October.
I’m actually okay with turning 30. 30 sounds very old, and I remember when the only 30-year-olds I knew were middle-aged people with boring jobs and boring lives. And I thought that was what turning 30 was about.
But now that I’m 30 years old, I realize that’s not the case at all. My life is far from boring…or maybe my definition of “boring” has changed. I was so happy spending Halloween trick-or-treating with George and then watching Bake Off and then Stranger Things on the couch with Sam. If I was 20 years old, I would have thought it was boring, so maybe things have changed.
A lot of people say that nothing changes after they turn 30, but that’s not the case for me.
I felt this strange, sudden sense of belonging. It gives me confidence that yes, I am actually doing this correctly. I’ve got my shit together and life is going pretty well.
I was raised to believe that I could do anything, and this was probably the best gift my parents gave me. As a child, they made me believe that I could be anyone I wanted to be, go anywhere I wanted to go, and do anything I wanted to do. I still have this belief, but in a more realistic and toned-down form, which is great, but it doesn’t make me feel very at home.
Why settle in the village where I grew up when I could travel the world? And why settle for my current job when I could be the boss? Why run a 10k when you can run a marathon? It’s like that. If you can…
But it wasn’t until recently that I realized that, in fact, you don’t always have to aim high to be happy.
i’m not going to run a marathon. The training for it will be soul-destroying. And I really like running 10km. I don’t want to be the boss. It would be stressful and difficult and I’m really happy with what I’m doing. And I have no intention of giving up my lovely home or leaving my lovely friends behind to become a nomadic backpacker and travel around the world. But even more, I’m so happy that they’re following me all the way!
I’ve been rambling a lot, but what I’m trying to say is that since I turned 30, I know what I want and what makes me happy, and I’m more settled in my ambitions and goals. As a result, I am happy as well.
When I started writing this blog post, I named it “30 Things I’ve Learned Since Turning 30.” It’s a bit of a cliché, but I liked the idea of sharing wisdom. But once I started writing, I realized there were only three important things on my list.
Yes, I realized that blonde hair doesn’t suit me and I should never buy cheap lipstick, but that doesn’t matter, what matters is…
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#1. Do what makes you happy
I strongly believe that you cannot make others happy if you are not happy yourself. If you’re not happy, nothing can go well.
It’s easy to say, and it’s not always easy to accomplish in practice, but I really think more people should be selfish and only do what makes them happy. Don’t think about what is right or wrong or what other people think. Because it won’t make you happy. What’s the point in doing the “right thing” if it makes you miserable?
I wish someone had told me this when I was 14 years old and choosing subjects to study at school, then at university, and then at university. I loved writing, media, and photography, but I chose a more serious subject because I thought that was what I was meant to do. I studied English and English Literature in college, but it was so boring that I didn’t feel like I learned anything. I definitely learned something, but it was a waste of 3 years and a ton of money on a course that did nothing for me. I wish I had studied creative writing or magazine journalism at a local community college. If you choose a subject that makes you happy, you are more likely to end up in a career that makes you happy. And if it makes you happy, you’ll be good at it, and if you’re good at it, you’ll probably be very successful. And if your career makes you happy, you’re almost successful in life.
#2. Wear what makes you happy
Why, oh why, did it take me 30 years to figure this out!?
I went through a phase where I tried to be really fashionable and stylish. I wear skin-tight dresses, totter around in sky-high heels, lean into the latest trends, and dare to wear the latest color fads that don’t even look good on a perfect 6-foot model. Did.
I’ve worn more clothes than I’d like to admit that have made me feel uncomfortable and completely ruined my day. I can’t count the number of nights I ended up waddling home barefoot in the snow because of foot, foot, and back pain due to ill-fitting shoes!
Again, why!?
Why did I do this?
Now that I’m 30, I can say I’m happiest in skinny jeans from Tesco. It has a bit of Lycra in it, so it basically feels like you’re wearing gym pants. I love flats and fitted jumpers, bright jewelery and topknots and am very happy with this.
I am 100% happy wearing jeans and a t-shirt. If that means wearing jeans and her T-shirt for the rest of the day, so be it.
#3. Spend time with people who make you happy
Don’t just spend time with them, make time for them.
As we get older, it can be all too easy to go weeks without seeing the people we care about most.
As you can probably tell, life is all about being happy. I’ve always been a very happy and optimistic person, but when I turned 30, I realized that something made me happy.
Do any of my fellow 30-year-olds have pearls of wisdom to add?