Party Like It's My Birfday!

One of my favorite food bloggers (Eat.Live.Run.) posted a list on her birthday of 27 things she knows now that she’s 27. So I thought it might be fun to do a 30 things I know now that I'm 30 list on my 30^th birthday*. Get it?  Complicated, I know, but I have faith you’ll catch on.

1. Try not to take life too seriously. Laughter makes everything better. (This is a picture I sent to my friend Vienna, but it’s ridiculous and thought it was perfect for this!)

2. Exercise is important. It makes me sleep better, feel better, and live better.

3. Accept my body and accept that it will change. I used to hate my nose, but I’ve learned to love it and love that it comes straight from my dad.

4. People will not change for me. They will only change for themselves, which means there is no “if they loved me enough…”

5. Try as hard as I can to make it work. And then if it doesn’t, move on.

6. Friends will come and go. Learn how to make new friends when I need to.

7. Coming home doesn’t always feel like coming home.

8. Strengthening the good parts of a relationship is sometimes more important than fixing the bad parts.

9. Support other people’s decisions even if they don’t do what I think they should.

10. Stop being so judgmental, for heaven’s sake!

11. Making time to do the things I love will make me happy. Picnics! Hikes! Puzzles!

12. Trust my family. Listen to mom’s advice, use dad as a safety soundboard, and confide in my sister and brother-in-law. Love on my nieces.

13. Say yes! But also know that it’s ok to say no.

14. Don’t talk about people behind their backs. I always regret it.

15. Traveling is not a waste of money, but it’s also not for everyone.

16. What I do at work will affect my self-esteem. Feeling valued is important.

17. Expect the worst and hope for the best.

18. Learn to be self-sufficient.

19. I’m the only one who can make me happy, and I can’t make anyone else happy.

20. Save. Save. Save. There’s always enough money to save something.

21. People show love in different ways.

22. Surround myself with positive people.

23. Stop the snowball effect. My day does not have to be ruined because a few things went wrong, but if I allow it to affect the rest of my day then it will.

24. I have to look out for myself first when it comes to my professional life. It’s not personal.

25. Spend time with family as often as possible. It’s always worth it.

26. Mistakes happen. Fix them and move on. I said, move on!

27. Learn when to let go of the details. I only upset myself, and no one notices the difference anyway.

28. It’s ok to do nothing. Being busy all the time does not make me more important and it definitely does not make me happier.

29. It’s ok to be alone.

30. Be happy! 

Thoughts?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

*I'm not actually going to be on tomorrow, so I wanted to post it today.