10 Things I’ve Learned Since Turning 30

I turned 32 last month.

Thirty. Two. Lord have mercy! I feel like time just keeps moving faster and faster. Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels this way!

In any case, I’ve been doing some serious contemplating lately reviewing what my life was like 2 years ago. Things were definitely different when I turned 30. For starters, I only had 2 kids. (Anyone else feel like there was a giant leap from 2 kids to 3? Woof.) I was also working a different job. And writing anything like a blog was just a far off daydream.

Fast forward two years, one kiddo, and a job change later, and I’m here to tell you that the last 2 years have taught me more than I ever thought 24 months possibly could.

I will never, ever, in a million years claim to be an expert in anything. But I do believe in constantly learning, consistently growing, and taking something away from every hard life lesson. So I thought it would be fun to review 10 things I’ve learned since I turned 30! Here we go:

Find and Invest Time in Your Tribe

I have said for a long time that I’m lucky to have such an awesome group of women in my life. But things like jobs, kids, and To Do lists can easily get in the way of our friendships if we let it. Don’t let it! Find a group of people who understand you, value you, and build you up.  Find them, make time for them, and never let them go! I’m convinced that having friends to lean on is the easiest way to make it through life.

Be Yourself!

Add this one to the list of “Things I Wish I Would have Known in High School.” This has probably been the biggest thing I’ve been learning over the past 2 years and I’m bummed it’s taken me this long in life to really figure it out. Listen, no one else is quite like me, and no one else is quite like YOU. Isn’t that awesome?! We’re all different. We’re all unique. We’re all created by a God who thought the world needed ONE of us. Let’s quit being a clone and embrace the way God made us. Just do you, girl!

Slow Down

Holy heavens, try telling this to a full-time working momma of 3! Remember when I said I wasn’t an expert in anything? Yeah, I’m most definitely NOT an expert in slowing down. But it is something I’m trying to work on and having kids really makes a person want to. The past 2 years have gone so fast, I’m quickly learning that time waits for no one. I know it’s hard. But take even just one minute if you can and savor it. Watch your 3 year old show your 10 month old a book. Watch your 5 year old write word after word (even though she’s asking you how to spell EVERY SINGLE ONE) because she’s learning how to read and write. The excitement in her face is worth it. I could probably write an entire post on this, but I’ll save that for another day. For now, just try to take a few minutes if you can and BE IN THE MOMENT.

Prioritize Your Life

To be fair, I think this is something I started working on before just 2 years ago, but it’s been a HUGE game changer for me. Here’s how it works: Figure out the top 5 things that are most important to you and get rid of or say no to everything else. You heard me. Figure out what’s important to you, and stop feeling guilty while you invest time into things that aren’t. Is your health important to you? Get in that workout! Is your career important to you? Focus on bettering yourself in the workplace. Pick what’s most important and shred the rest. You do not have to volunteer for every activity at school. You do not have to drive your child all over Timbuktu for an activity neither of you are excited about. You do not have to home cook every meal. If spending time with your family is your priority, then order the dang pizza and eat it on blankets on the living room floor. << Our Friday nights, right there. (We live an exciting life 😉 ) Geez, maybe I could write a whole post on this, too…

Read

I think somewhere in college I lost the will or drive to read books just for me. Probably because reading through text books was about all the energy toward reading I could muster at the time, but I digress. The point is, there are a BILLION books out there. Never be afraid to pick one up that might benefit you, or help you grow, or just be a fun beach read (and let me know when you’re headed to the beach because I’m going with you ;)) As a personal recommendation, I urge you to read Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. It sounds cheesy but that dang book literally changed my life.

Invest Time in Yourself

Be it a big or small thing. Eat a salad. Go for a walk. Wash your hair. Whatever it is you like to do, whatever it is that fills up your cup, invest some time to YOU. I wrote a blog post hitting on this topic previously (you can find it by clicking here). One thing I’m definitely learning in my early 30’s is to just take a few minutes to do what makes your soul happy.

Spend Time in Nature

Full disclosure – I’m a total country girl at heart. I never lived within city limits until I headed off to college. So for me, spending time in nature just revives my spirit. It clears my head, gives me an energy boost, and changes my attitude within minutes. So if you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up, head outside and get yourself some fresh air. Bonus: It’s free! (Sorry, I had to.)

Accept the Phase of Life You’re in and Roll with It

To say things are chaotic around my house would be an understatement. On weekends, we’re sometimes lucky to be changed out of jammies by nap time, if at ALL the entire day. And during the week, survival mode is at its max so things like cleaning and bathing (just being honest) go out the window. But I also know that this is just the phase of life we’re in. For example, I would love to volunteer more with school, my church, and around my community, but right now, with three littles at home, volunteering just isn’t going to happen. Someday I’ll have more time to volunteer or get out of the house for social events, but now is just not that time. Now is the time to use coffee as a survival mechanism and embrace the early morning hugs before my kiddos are old enough to figure out I’m weird and find my mama-bear hugs embarrassing. 🙂

Make Time for Date Nights

This is still something I struggle with because “date night” tends to find it’s way to the bottom of the To Do list. But, since we don’t get that much time to leave the house kid-less, we do try to find small ways to make sure we’re spending time together, just the two of us. Sometimes this means drinks on the back deck after the kiddos go to bed or watching an episode of the Big Bang Theory. Whatever it is, I’m learning that it’s important I schedule time to spend with the hubs! After all, the poor schmuck has to live the rest of his life with me, so I should probably put forth some effort. 😉

Life is Too Short – Chase those Dreams and Start Living a Life You Love!

So so cheesy, I know. But I also believe wholeheartedly in the fact that life is too short! I’ve seen plenty of people leave this world far too fast and long before they should. So if there’s something you’d like to do in this lifetime, DO IT. Don’t hold back. Take some tips from what I’ve learned over the past couple of years and be yourself. Do the things you want to do. Start becoming the person you want to become. Don’t waste any more time! Don’t wait for things to be perfect! They’ll never be perfect. Just do what you can to be your best self with this time you’ve been given on earth.

The past two years have been SO much. I can’t imagine what the next couple of years have in store! Also, were there any lessons that resonated with you? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! (It might give me food for thought on the next post. 😉 )