I turn 30 next week
and the closer it gets, the more I find myself reflecting on my 20’s. For me, it’s
been the decade where I grew up and did all the things that count for being what
some might call a ‘proper adult’. I found a career I like to think I excelled at, well two
actually if you count Motherhood! I got married, I had a child, I became a home
owner and a dog owner as well. I wonder what comes next?
Whilst my list of happy
memories is endless, there were of course some very rough rides too. But I
believe the bad times always make you stronger. So, after a few hours of reminiscing,
here are 5 lessons I’ve learnt in my 20’s that I wanted to share…
1.Don’t rush. You have all the time in the world to
do the big things, there shouldn’t be any deadline to get stuff done. Putting pressure
on yourself is not good for your mental health and can make you lose the person
you really are. You are enough. When you want to achieve something, do it in
your own time, not just because someone else is doing it too.
2.If you’ve got the money, spend it making memories. Even if it means having
to save for a while, it will be worth every penny. These will be memories you talk about for years to come.
3.Don’t let the people you love walk all over you. This refers to friends
and family who may have got used to taking you for granted. Using you because you’ve
always been happy to plod along making them happy. But you deserve to me happy
too. You can still be a really nice person, whilst not taking any shit. The
sooner you learn this one the better.
4.Try and step out of your comfort zone. I have my wonderful Husband
to thank for helping me learn this one. I have never been a risk taker, I’m
never the type to take chances and I’m not too fond of a change of plans, it
puts me on edge. But my Husband opened my eyes, reassured me that whatever we
would embark on, no matter how crazy or scary, we would be doing it together
and I would never have anything to worry about. Because of him, I have road a
camel across the Sahara Desert, swam with dolphins, sat next to and kissed a sea lion and climbed the top of the O2 and I couldn’t be prouder. These things might not seem so big to you, but for me were HUGE. The feeling you
get after doing something out of your comfort zone is priceless.
5.Don’t take anything for granted. I think we are all guilty
sometimes of not appreciating what we have in life and how lucky we are to have
it. But we shouldn’t take for granted the family and friends that are in our lives,
the jobs we have, the money in the bank, the healthy bodies we live in. Time goes
by at a blink of an eye and life can change in an instant. So try and appreciate
every single thing you have and every single person you love, as you just don’t
know how long they will be around for.
I still have to
remind myself of these lessons from time to time and I am grateful every day
that I’ve had the chance to learn them, gearing me up for an even better decade
to come in my 30’s!
Love Sophie, MMC x
Yep, I'd agree with all of those. My twenties were crazy times, but the most difficult part was the anxiety of feeling I had to meet so many life markers. Heading towards 40 now, what I'v loved about my 30's is most of that 20's anxiety is a long distant memory!
ReplyDeleteWow, these are all so wise! Also, you did amazing adulting, having a career, a house, a family and a dog before age 30. I'm 34 and have all of these. Well except the career and the child, which I'll never have, and except for the dog, but we have a cat. However, I'm still pretty clueless where it comes to many things, such as owning a house, and I trust my husband to take most of the responsibility for this.
ReplyDeleteWow, these are so wise. I am in my mid-twenties and am still learning some of these things. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy that time, the years go by so quickly.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice and very wise words. x
ReplyDeleteThis is such good advice.
ReplyDelete