Turning 30

Today’s my birthday! As the years went on and the slow trail of turning 30 was slowly approaching, in the back of my mind I thought (and was hoping) that this wouldn’t come. You hear all these stereotypes and advice on what you should have accomplished by the time you are 30. And when you look back on your life and see that you haven’t accomplished those said things, you assume you failed in life. Now, I’m taking back the number 30. Instead of looking back at what I didn’t do, I am looking towards the future and say what I am going to do. So here are 30 things I promise to do for myself:

1. Honesty is important. No more holding my feelings in. It would be better for me and any relationships I have.

2. Move towards the future. Stop looking back to the past. It happened and there’s nothing to do to change it. All we can do is use it to learn for the future.

3. Try something new. Broaden my horizons

4. Pick up an old skill. Revisit a skill that I did in the past.

5. Fight for a work/life balance. Don’t let our jobs take over our personal lives. We need to know when we need to take a step back and fight for our social life.

6. Keep true to your passion. This ties in well with number 5. Writing, reading, art….all hobbies that I hold dear to my heart.Don’t let anyone steer you away from what you are truly passionate.

7. Keep true to your beliefs. Argue for what you think is right. Don’t back down but do be willing to compromise.

8. Change is a good thing. Change will always happen. The point is to be willing to be more open to it and accept it into our lives.

9. Succeed at my job, but not to the point where I lose myself.

10. Learn something new. Develop new skills, both professionally and personally.

11. Travel more. Whether it is to the UK or to California, the point is to understand the world more around us and gain new experiences.

12. Read, read, read. This was always going to happen but it needed to be said.

13. Close friendships are the ones you hold dear. Good friends are like diamonds: they’re very rare. Keep positive friends around you that will help you succeed.

14. Friends will come and go. It’s okay if you lose friends along the way your journey. If you are happier without them, then there weren’t the friends for you. Don’t stress out on bad friendships.

15. Forgive. Life is too short hold a grudge. Just let your anger go.

16. Find your inner voice. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for advice from others, but try to listen to what your mind and heart is trying to tell you.

17. Volunteer more. Doing something for someone else makes you feel better about yourself.

18. `Don’t let anyone force their ideals on you. You are your own person. Their values may not match up with yours. Don’t let anyone change how you feel.

19. Pursue your dreams. Your pursuits and ambitions make you who you are. Never falter on them.

20. It’s okay if you are not in a romantic relationship. It may seem that everyone is in a relationship except for you, but that is not true. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad that you are not in a relationship. If it happens, it happens.

21. Everyone is not going to like you.  The important thing (and as a cliché it may sound) is to love yourself.

22.. We can’t do it all. As much as I don’t want to disappoint anyone, there is so much I can do. I am not Supergirl. We all have to learn to take a step back and say no once in a while.

23. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about yourself.  Even if it is your closest friend in the world. You need positive people in your life and negative people tend to bring you down.

24. Fight for what is right! That includes your work and personal life. If you think something is unfair or wrong, make sure to speak up.

25. Exceed at your job. Even if you are having second thoughts about your position. All you can do is the best to your ability. If your superiors fail to recognize this, then you know it is time to move on.

26. Don’t take your family for granted. Now, most importantly, is the time to realize to have your family in your life. You need them more than ever.

27. Have faith. Whether you believe in God, another entity, or you are atheist, the point is to believe in something. Your faith gets you through the tough times.

28. Success without happiness is pointless. Great you are at the top. But if you are not happy, then what is the point?

29. It’s okay if you don’t have it all figure out. No one expects you to have your entire life mapped out. I can safely say that none of us has life figured out. And that is okay. The important thing is to live your life to the fullest on your own terms.

30. Don’t give up. Life will throw you major curve-balls to throw you off, to test you. Dust if off and get back onto the home plate. Life is a battle. The point is to get through the cannons. No matter the outcome, you will always be victorious at the end.

Society made me believe that I should always dread my 30th birthday, especially if I wasn’t married or had kids. I don’t see that way. I see that my years have just begun and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.