29 Things I Learned Before Turning 30!

I'm turning 30 on Tuesday August 21st and I actually can't believe it. My twenties have flown by in the blink of an eye. I remember when I was 17 or 18 thinking I was in control of my life. I was confident I would build a house and be married by 28, have a baby at 29, and I'd be well settled as a nurse in my local hospital at that stage too. My future husband and I would both have expensive cars and my mother would mind the baby when I was back at work after my maternity leave because that's what our mothers are for, or so I thought at the time.

I laugh back at my innocence and complete naivety. At nearly 30 years of age I can say with certainty that you cannot plan out your whole life. You certainly can try but it doesn't always run smoothly. There will be plenty of slips, trips, falls, wrong turns and detours along the way.

I have some mixed feelings about my twenties. It really was a decade full of ups and downs. I can definitely say I learned many life lessons in the last 10 years.

29 Things I Learned Before Turning 30 -

1. You will make loads of mistakes - big ones, small ones, and ginormous ones. Learn from them, forgive yourself, and move on.

2. Your brain doesn't fully develop until you're 25. That might explain some of the behaviour in those late teens and early twenties years. I had little regard for consequences of some of my actions.

3. You can't please everyone, you really can't. All you can do is be yourself and try your best. 

4. Nobody really gives a damn about you. Apart from your family and a handful of close friends, most people are too busy thinking about their own troubles to give you and your mistakes a second thought. I really wished I had learned this in my early twenties as I would have saved myself a lot of anxiety.

5. Try not to over think. We can be our own worst enemies. You will end up creating a problem that wasn't there to begin with. What you focus on grows.

6. Spend time with those you want to, not those you feel you have to. You don't owe anyone any excuses.

7. Stop blaming yourself for past mistakes - Going back to point 2. If it was before you were 25 it doesn't really count and if it was after that simply, let it go.

8. Everyone has their own stuff to deal with; you're not the only one.

9. Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't make mountains out of molehills.

10. Try and eat well. You'll get less colds and chest infections. It's an inside out world. Enjoy everything in moderation.

11. Wear sunscreen and look after that skin. I see lots of patients having lesions removed from their skin due to sun damage.

12. Don't romanticise the past. Some things weren't actually as good as you remember them.

13. Practice gratitude. Write down three things each night before you go to bed that you're grateful for. Every day might not be good but there's something good in every day.

14. Comparison is the thief of joy. Don't compare your behind-the-scenes to someone else's highlight reel.

15. Change from vodka to gin. It's saved me a lot of hangovers in the last two years and a lot of fear!

16. Travel while you can, but only if you want to. Not because you feel it's something you have to do because everyone else is doing it.

17. Make time for the people that make time for you and be polite to the rest of them.

18. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.

19. What people think of me is none of my business.

20. Practice mindfulness, which really is living in the present moment. You can waste an awful lot of time ruminating about the past and thinking about the future.

21. That awful thing you said to Nancy, Joe or Tom when you were 19 really can't be changed. Accept it and move on.

22. You can't put an old head on young shoulders. You are not the same person you were 10 years ago. Stop blaming yourself for her mistakes.

23. Eat the cake, just eat the cake. You're not 'bold' for doing so.

24. Try not to gossip. A lot of stuff you hear ends up growing legs and isn't true anyway.

25. Don't let anyone put you down. Whether it is a consultant, a CEO, the president, or a street sweeper, we all piss in the same toilet at the end of the day.

26. Treat people as you'd like to be treated. Manners cost nothing.

27. Try meditation. It’s great for helping you sleep, easing anxiety and quietening down that mind chatter. There are loads of helpful guided meditations on You Tube.

28. Your relationship with your significant other is so important. Be with someone that makes you feel equal, is your best friend and most importantly that makes you laugh. Oh, and don't forget date night!

29. You're allowed to have fun and be happy. It's up to you and only you.

Thirties, I welcome you with open arms. An important thing I learned this year is not to complain about getting older. It's a privilege denied to many.

Hope you enjoyed this piece. If you did please pass it on and let me know!

Lots of love,

Older, and maybe a little wiser,

Maria

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