30 Life Lessons I’ve Learned in My 30 Years

Today marks my 30^th birthday and despite the mass consensus that I should be feeling down and longing for my 20s back, that’s simply not the case. I am excited to turn 30. I’m old enough that people may finally mistake me for an adult and yet young enough to pretend a night out won’t hurt me the next day.
The truth is, high school still feels like it wasn’t that long ago. Then I reminisce on all that’s happened since then, and it’s a lot. Relationships, friendships, careers, travels, babies, marriage… they have all led me to where I am now.
And I’ve learned a lot along the way:

1. You are not your past and your mistakes do not define you
2. Everyone goes through challenges, be gentle and kind
3. Don’t take life too seriously, have some fun while you’re here
4. Treasure those friends that stick around in the bad times
5. Eat the carbs
6. None of us really know what we’re doing
7. Most problems are smaller than you think and won’t matter five years from now
8. You have to be your own advocate
9. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are probably right
10. Only follow people on social media that make you feel good about yourself
11. If you’re going to spend your days working, make sure you’re doing something you love
12. Smiles are contagious (so is not smiling)
13. Always make time for your kids, everything else can wait
14. Put down the phone once in a while, a digital detox is good for the soul
15. Compliment others and be the reason they feel good
16. A good bottle of wine and a best friend can be the best form of therapy
17. Make your bed
18. You can’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands, you need to be able to throw some things back
19. Material things can be fun, memories are even better
20. Your life doesn’t have a timeline, you are right where you’re meant to be
21. Dreams change, that doesn’t mean you failed. Start over.
22. Say “I love you” often, but only if you mean it
23. Take lots of pictures and record your life
24. Remember when you have pains, you don’t have to be one
25. At the end of the day, family is everything. Stop fighting with your siblings, call your grandparents and remember mom is always right
26. You can have it all, just not all at the same time
27. Someone else’s success doesn’t diminish yours
28. Invest in yourself, your health and a really good mattress
29. People will forget what you said but will always remember how you made them feel
30. I have learned that I still have a lot to learn and will never have it all figured out