Eeeeeeek! Today is Tuesday August 10th, and it’s officially my last day in my 20’s…. Kind of freaking out, and also feeling so READY for this next chapter. You know what I mean? I’m so happy to be moving on in the next chapter of my life, but also no where I expected to be at at 30. I guess nobody ever is though, right?
Over the last month as this day has ben creeping up on me (and it came realllly fast), I’ve been thinking more and more about all of the lessons I learned in my 20’s, the experiences I had and what I had wished I had known sooner. So I thought I’d share some of those thoughts with you here (and also this dress because I love it)!
- Say YES! There was a crappy movie made about this exact thing, wasn’t there? It’s so important to say yes to everything you can. If someone asks you to go on a trip- say yes. If you get asked on a date- say yes. If you get the opportunity to take your dream job (even if it’s a bit out of reach)- say yes. Things will always fall into place- the money, the knowledge, etc. But it’s important to take advantage of the things that come your way. More often than not, you won’t regret it!
- “Do you want to see him naked?” Literally the best piece of dating advice I ever received. Sounds silly at first, but think about it. If you’re on a date with the nicest guy in the world, but there isn’t that spark, what do you do? Should you keep going out with him just to try and force a relationship because he’s perfect on paper? The answer is no. There needs to be chemistry, and if you don’t want to see that person naked, then how far can things really go? Trust me on this one…
- Find your group of friends and hold them tight, but not too tight. It’s super important to hold onto good friends. Put in the time and effort, make plans, support them in any way you can- BE THERE. However, you should also know when it’s time to let friendships go. People grow and change, and that’s OK. I had friends that made me feel bad for growing up, for not being the same person I was in high school. Isn’t that insane? It’s ok to grow apart from people and it’s ok to let friendships die if they aren’t positive or supportive anymore. I held on too long just for the sake of holding on.
- LOVE yourself. Like, truly, deeply love yourself. I’m just now dealing with this one, but I wish I had known earlier. Self love is vital if you want to be a good friend, a good girlfriend, a good daughter. You literally can’t love someone else without loving yourself. You’re incredible and you need to believe that through and through. If you don’t, then work really fucking hard to get there. I’m doing that now, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. God life is hard in your 20’s. Shit is all complicated and you’re pressured to get your shit together- job, house, boyfriend/husband, kids and on and on. Dude, things take time. Who cares when all of that happens for you? There isn’t a playbook for life, shit happens when it’s supposed to happen. So don’t get all stressed out and bent out of shape about the little things, just enjoy your life. Be happy and accept things as they come. Don’t compare your journey to those around you- it will never be the same.
So, with all that said, I wonder what lessons and experiences my 30’s are going to throw at me… Should be interesting!
What lessons did you learn in your 20’s? Or what have you learned in your 30’s that I should know about? Comment below and tell me!
P.S. Let’s also just talk about this outfit for a sec! This dress is actually a cocktail dress from bebe, and I love dressing down a dress like this. An easy way to do that is to just add a denim jacket and sneakers. That’s a simple way to take a night time look to day time. Below are some red dresses that are similar to mine!
XO, Ali
