Goodbye 20's

Today is the last day of my 20's. I turn 30 tomorrow.

I stayed up too late last night, ate a couple cookies for breakfast this morning, (even though they were one step away from granola bites, because... I'm not totally reckless anymore)

My 20's have been an eventful 10 years, as I'm sure many people could say the same of theirs... Here are a few highlights:

• Learned how to goal set for myself

• Graduated college

• Moved to Colorado

• Worked a lot: Part-time jobs: 8(?), Internships: 2, Freelance positions: 2 (?), Full-time jobs: 2...

• Pivoted into owning my own company

• Won an Emmy, (got nominated for 2 others)

• Got diagnosed with low level melanoma (and got it removed... gotta love those perks of being a lifeguard for 8 years)

• Had a few other health scares, most of which were related to stress

• Got engaged

• Got married (5 months after getting engaged) • Bought 1 house, sold that house, bought another

• Bought a car, paid off that car

• Paid off all my student loans

• Did a lot of home renovation projects

• Made 2 quilts

• Got a cat and a dog

• Took countless road trips

• Visited 5 countries (6 if you count the time we crossed the boarder to have breakfast in Canada :) )

• Watched more movies than I could count

There's quite a few areas of life that I feel like I've made immense personal progress, but I would say there's a ways to go with. And that's okay- I'm really, genuinely, enjoying the journey.

Overall, my 20's were good- stressful, and challenging, but really good. I've invested a lot of time and energy into knowing who I am. That sounds so cheesy, I know. But really, if I look back at who I was at age 20, or even the early 20's- I feel like I'm in a much better headspace. I'm happy with the goals I've set for myself. I'm feeling protected by the boundaries I've set with others. The biggest lessons have been about myself, and how I can better handle stress and my health, and balancing work and personal, how to pivot and bend in expectations, etc... As I'm reflecting back on my 20's, I'd say the overwhelmingly dominant feeling I have is: gratitude.

If I could sit my younger, early-20's-self down and have a chat, here's a few things I'd say: Stop worrying, things will work out, just keep working hard, and trust your gut. Pivot expectations, and stop being so hard on yourself. You don't have all the answers, and you don't need them- no one does. Taking a break is okay...Seriously, go take a break. Stop overworking yourself. Travel is important, go as often as you can. Routine is your ally. Boundaries are necessary. "Time is the one resource you'll never get more of," make the most of it while you have it.

*I'm also writing these here, now, as a reminder to my present and future self

My personal birthday tradition is, each year, I write 20+ goals for myself. It makes way more sense to me than hopping on the New Year's resolution bandwagon because it's more personal, and it's my new year. (You can read more on this, here) This year I've also added larger goals for the 30's as a whole. I won't be sharing those goals here, at least not until the end of the 30th year... maybe... BUT I can say this practice is one of the top 3 self-care things I've figured out for myself.

Before 2020, I had this picture of my 30th birthday in a cool location, and possibly surfing - drinking smoothies and soaking up the sun. That's not the world I currently find that in as a possibility. (at least not safely) Maybe some day in the future... But nonetheless, I'm happy with the way I'll be spending it. Thrilled of who I get to spend it with, and looking forward to what the future and my 30's might hold.