Well my friends the day has come, the birthday with the massive stigma behind it, the one where you start questioning life and what is to become of it. 30. I know it’s only been about 24 hours since my birthday but I wanted to shed some light on the fear of getting older and some encouraging tips for anyone (no matter what age) who feels a certain way about the way life should and should not be. Lets see if I’ve gained a bit more wisdom in the last day.

Where you are in life shouldn’t impact who you want to be: Often times we can find ourselves feeling defeated before we even try. The whole “woe is me” mentality kicks in and we tend to look at the big picture and become fearful or doubtful instead of focusing on the small steps it takes to actually get there. So repeat after me : You’re never too old, too far behind or too inexperienced. Anyone can begin anywhere.

Happiness is truly up to you: The kind of day you have is completely in your hands and you alone have the power to change that. I myself find it very easy to sulk and moan about everything that’s going wrong but, how you react and your overall perspective on life will make or break any situation. I feel that waking up each morning with a fresh outlook can also make a huge difference. Whether you have a journal or declare it out loud, starting your day with an open and grateful heart will surely start you off in the right direction. Lastly, Enjoy the little things, they are what end up shaping your life.

Its ok to say no: This is a tough one for me, I am the ultimate people pleaser, I love to make everyone happy and it truly brings me joy to help others. These are all great qualities to have but not at the cost of your sanity and happiness. Repeat after me again: NO!

I haven’t figured things out yet: Lets just face this fact right now, it will take you almost your entire life to “figure things out”, the best any of us can do is to take each day as it comes. With a little humility, honesty and happiness, life can be a little simplier.

I am of a certain age but haven’t accomplished as much as (insert whomever here): Comparing your life to someone elses only makes it more difficult to focus on ourselves. Feeling unbalanced or stuck in a “rut”?  pin point out the problem and go from there. Then ask yourself if youre happy in that specific area and begin to take the steps needed to work on it. As written above try not to focus on the end goal so much and work on each baby step needed. We all know that prior to a baby walking it needs to be able to lift its head, roll over, sit up, crawl, pick itself up etc… and with each milestone there is always a celebration (if you have children or are around them you know what I am referring to) give yourself praises for accomplishing that one step, move on to the next one and “up the ante”.

I hope these were of help for those needing a little boost of encouragement. Not to contradict my “just say no” policy but I “said yes” to some pretty amazing things this year which in turn made me a much more happier, grateful and braver person. Here are some of them…

I said yes to moving to England for 6 months and had the most life changing experiences ever!

I said yes to a solo trip to Paris and it was the most magical time of my life!

I said yes to trying new foods (this might actually be a problem)

I said yes to meeting new people and put myself out there and in turn met some amazing new friends.

Today I say yes to embracing this new chapter of life. I encourage you to do the same! 

P.S I also said yes to roller skating in Brooklyn bridge park last night. Which resulted in tumbling to the ground. Oh the joys of being 30. (This was prior to falling when I thought I was cute)   

xx, Gwen