Turning 30

 

Skirt || Sweater || Sandals || Necklace || Watch || Sunglasses

Pictures by Jennifer Posada

Truth be told, I’ve had mixed feelings about turning the big 3-0. One the one hand, it feels so unreal! How in the heck did I get here? It feels as though it wasn’t too long ago that I celebrated my 21st birthday! I remember being oh so happy. Honestly, it wasn’t just the fact that I was finally able to order a cocktail on my own, though that was super exciting. I was in college and I had big plans, big dreams. In my mind, getting older only meant that I was a year closer to all my goals and aspirations. At the very least that’s the way it felt, that’s the way I saw it. Turning 25 wasn’t bad either. I still had a few more months to go after that before I would meet my darling husband. However, turning a quarter of a century, while huge, it felt like it wasn’t that big of a deal. The past 5 years have been some of the best years of my life. I’ve accomplished so much! Besides finding my soulmate, I reached so many goals, made many friends, traveled some, and most importantly, I learned to appreciate life and be genuinely happy. So, why should my thirties be/feel any different, right? Why is it that turning 30 feels like such a heavy weight on my shoulders?

In my generation of friends and family, and being a February-born means that, I’m pretty much the first one to turn 30. Normally, I would feel proud and high-spirited about being the eldest, but it feels different this time. I think that, unconsciously, I’m worried about my age because the past decade was so awesome but it’s come and gone so quickly! So I wonder, will my thirties feel the same way? I still have plenty of things to take care of. I just really hope that I have enough time for it all, you know?

As hard as it may feel to accept that as of today, I will no longer be able to say that I’m a 20-something year old gal, part of me does feel very hopeful. I’ve been blessed with another year of life, I’m healthy, I have a job, a loving husband, and an amazing family. What more can one ask for? I truly am happy and so it’s only going to be a matter of time before I can let go of my glorious twenties. Today’s post is dedicated to sharing thirty ways on how I plan on making my thirties the best decade of my life yet!

Note: I’m about to get as personal as I have ever been on the blog. I’m not sure if this is something you guys want to read/care about but I thought I give it a try. I truly hope that if you’re under and/or past your thirties, these goals can somewhat help you, too.

1. Remind myself constantly that age is just a number. Yeah, I know it sounds cliche but I truly believe that looking and feeling young has more to do with keeping a positive attitude than the actual years that are in our bodies.

2. Exercise, exercise, exercise! It wasn’t until my mid twenties that I learned about the benefits of working out. It started with yoga and then some running. The outcome wasn’t only beneficial to my body but it was also mind/soul changing, too. When I workout, I let go of all the stress, frustrations and negativity that gets to me from work or other life circumstances. I cannot tell you enough just how much I love/need the gym in my life!

3. Create my own happiness. You guys, I’m about to get real. Being happy is rather hard for someone like me. You see, I’m a perfectionist and so it’s fair to say that my happiness depends so much on both, how well life treats me and how well I do/perform/am received in a particular matter. I’m pretty much obsessed with things being done the right way. Yes, I know that life itself isn’t perfect but being a perfectionist is something you can’t just get rid of. I’ve been this way all my life. Finding even a small reason to be happy is crucial. Whether that’ll be going to get my mani-pedi every other week or making a meal, I want to be able to find joy on it all. I want to be happy with things even if they don’t always turn out perfect or go my way.

4. Stop procrastinating. If you are and/or know anyone who’s a perfectionist you will know exactly what I mean. It’s the most ironic thing ever! In my opinion, being a perfectionist really makes you feel like because “you’re good/fast” you don’t need to start your duties right away. I’ve been doing this for far too long and it hasn’t quite been working out anymore. I know is going to be challenging, but I need to “just do it” like the Nike quote goes.

5. Keep things real and find a balance. Is it just me or can anyone else agree that our society glorifies business? As much as I love to say that I’m busy, sometimes I wonder if that’s the right way to live life. I’m the kind of girl that loves multitasking and taking on big projects, but sometimes I feel how it affects me physically. I’m tired a lot of times and now that I have to commute for work and appointments, I begin to question all those extra commitments I say yes to. I really have to find a healthy balance because the last thing I want is to burn myself out, you know?

6. Be honest with myself and others. Social media has been such a gift and blessing to the world. However, it can also be the thief of joy! It’s crazy how many times I feel pressured to buy the latest trends on clothing and/or now furniture. As much as I would love to tell you that my life is all about sunshine and rainbows, I feel the need to also tell you that my life is far from perfect. I may not express that all the time because I don’t want to sound egocentric or victimized, but I feel like it’s hard for me to accept and share my reality sometimes.

7. Be not afraid to say no. Oh my goodness, I’ve always been a “yes sir/ma’m” sort of girl all my life. The truth is that I’m afraid to hurt people’s feelings. I do realize that I don’t want to end up saying yes just to say yes, though especially if it’s at the cost of my own happiness/wallet!

8. Let go of fears. Unfortunately, I’m a control freak. My life, my job, my goals, my relationships with others have all been based on how/where I feel comfortable. Like Jillian Michaels says: “It’s time to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Even if I fall, I gotta learn to live a little, right?

9. Eat healthy. The older I get, the more conscious I get about how important it is to eat healthy. What we put in our bodies is crucial to how we feel/react!

10. Go on vacation at least once a year. I’ve taken a “proper” vacation only once in my whole life. That was last year and it felt wonderful! It’s important to disconnect from all the craziness at least once a year, you know?

11. Travel to places I’ve never been before. This one will be hard because most of the traveling David and I do is 1) for family 2) places we’ve been before. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, I want to make sure that we get to go to a place and learn about a new culture. I bet it’ll be fun!

12. Be kind to myself and others. 

13. Be/show more appreciation to my friends 

14. Give back to the community. I used to volunteer so much when I was in high school and college. It’s time do do something good, even if it’s not as often as before.

15. Get back to church. With the move, I haven’t even had the time or the initiative to look for a local church. I can tell, my soul can tell if you know what I mean.

16. Tell my husband how much he means to me every day. My husband is the one of the biggest blessings in my life. I don’t mean to brag but David is the perfect man for me. He spoils me, he understands me. He deals with me and my crazy ideas/projects. I don’t think I’m very good at letting him know just how much he means to me.

17. Make my husband happy. Related to No. 16, I don’t think I’m as good as he is as finding things that make me happy.

18. Be not afraid of motherhood. Yeah, I don’t know how many women can relate to this but I’m really freaking out about the whole becoming pregnant and then being a mom thing. I don’t know how they do it. My biological watch is starting to tick you guys… I don’t want to not have kids just because I’m afraid nor rush myself to it just because I’m 30 as so “it’s time.” I got some figuring out to do with this one. LOL.

19. Go out dancing. I used to go dancing so much in my early twenties, I miss it!

20. Drink more Water!

21. Patience, patience, patience! This is key! Good things take time and they come to those who wait.

22. Be not afraid of expanding Pens and Pink Pens & connect with my followers/readers. I have so many dreams for this little blog but I do feel scared. What if that’s something you guys aren’t interested in? But then again, maybe you will.

23. Live with a purpose. Sometimes I feel like a zombie in the sense that I do what I do because that’s my routine and what I’m used to. From now, I want to live everyday with intention and purpose.

24. Cook more Husband’s note: she’s a phenomenal cook! If only she accepted my insurmountable love for peanut butter…

25. Grow professionally. Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck. I honestly hate this feeling because it’s not like I have a terrible job or anything, but I do feel like I want to grow in many other areas.

26. Make my house feel like home. Furniture plays a big role on this one. You guys, furniture is so expensive, though! I’m trying to live within my means and so it may take a while, but I can’t wait to make our new house truly ours.

27. Be organized and disciplined

28. See my family more often

29. Become a US naturalized citizen. This is a pretty big one for me. After 14 years, I’m finally eligible to be a US citizen! Application is on its way, wish me luck, you guys!

30. “And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln. Cheers to making each day count.

Xoxo

Flor