When I was in my teens I remember thinking that my 20s would be the best time of my life. Then I entered my 20s and felt pretty underwhelmed. To be honest my early 20s turned out to be filled with self doubt, anxiety, heartbreak and a general feeling of being unsettled. I was in a foreign country away form my family and felt very homesick most of the time, I was competing with amazing dancers all the time to get a job, I was working very hard to finish my MA in the day and all night to earn some cash to pay the bills and the long term relationship I was in came to an end.
As I got closer to 30 life just seemed to get better and better. I met my now husband, I decided to become a teacher, I landed an amazing teaching job at an amazing SEN school and enjoyed travelling to some really amazing destinations. My 30s kicked off with my husband and I tying the knot on a beautiful, sunny and hot Summer's day, shortly followed by the arrival of our first child and a couple of years later our second child.
Last week I turned 36 and life has never been better. I feel happy, settled and accomplished. I feel I can firmly say that I love being in my 30's. So here are just a few reasons why I believe life in your 30s is great.
I love being in my 30's because...
- I'm comfortable in my own skin
Long gone are the days I felt I needed to constantly compare myself to others in order to be accepted and frantically tried to fit in. In my 20's there was always something that bothered me. My looks, my weight, my clothes, the fact I was foreign... the list goes on. Now that I'm in my mid thirties I can positively say that I am happy and comfortable with who I am and the way I look.
- I don't accept crap neither do I give it.
I was as naive as naive can be and I always remember my mum telling me off for it. She always used to have a go at me about believing other people's lies and getting along with the wrong crowd but the truth is I really believed they were being nice, truthful and above all my friends. Now my 'crap detector' is quite sharp I think. I have worked out how to put a stop to people's bulls**t. I have an opinion and a voice that I can raise whenever I believe it is right to do so. I have the confidence to stand for who I am and what I believe in, even if it is 'different' or 'strange'....who cares!
- I have fewer friends but they are the best friends anyone could wish for.
I have accepted that friends come and go and that I will meet lots of people throughout my life, but I now know that true friendship will last a lifetime even if we don't see each other for a month, a year or more.
I love my friends and they are very important to me. They are always there for me and I can always be myself and voice my opinions around them. They know me well and always know what to do or say to cheer me up. They are kind, supportive, great listeners and lots of fun to be around. I may not have hundreds of friends but I definitely have THE BEST FRIENDS!
- I appreciate the small things in life.
Nothing puts things more into perspective than when you become a parent. I became a mother in my early 30s and ever since I have started to appreciate the smaller things in life a lot more than I ever done before. By small things I don't just mean things that relate to my children but also things like a really good coffee, a nice glass of wine, a beautiful sunrise/sunset and of course a lovely evening spent on the sofa with my husband having a picnic and a chat. Of course very few things beat a big cuddle from my little ones or catching them have a chat and singing whilst playing together.
But the most amazing thing of all is that I AM HAPPY and I life has never been better!
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