I officially turned 24 on Thursday (my golden birthday) and it's been a BUSY week for me in my personal life. As you've probably noticed I took some time away from the blog since around Christmas and although I didn't mean for my absence to be this long and sporadic, I think it was a good move to take a break from the blog. I was getting overwhelmed, my heart wasn't in it for a little bit, but stepping away made me realize how passionate I truly am about my job! I've been coming up with some ideas for the future, some new projects, and how I can make TCB work better for both myself and you! On that note, today's post is one of the more personal ones. I'm sharing 24 lessons to my younger self that I've learned in my 24 years. Although the list is for me, it has lessons that I think are relevant to everyone at any age!
1. Spend more time with people you love.
2. Don't be afraid to get rid of toxic people in your life.
3. Take every opportunity to travel!
4. You can show your emotion, it doesn't make you weak.
5. Save your money!!
6. See more concerts, your favorite bands might not be together in a few years.
7. Try out your different interests now, who knows where those hobbies might lead.
8. Everyone has bad days, but you've survived them in the past and you can survive them in the future.
9. Make exercise a habit, I promise you'll like it more than you think!
10. Don't stretch yourself too thin, no matter how much you think you're getting done on one end, you're burning yourself out on the other.
11. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT OTHERS THINK OF YOU! If you find happiness in it, go for it.
12. If someone's nails are perfect, most likely they're fake. (And you have no reason to be jealous)
13. You don't have to have all the answers or a plan for life. Some things will just fall in and out of place, and that's okay.
14. Most people care about themselves more than they care about you . So don't be afraid to be a little selfish sometimes too. (And refer back to #11!)
15. Start NOW. Whatever it is, starting earlier in life will be easier than starting later.
16. You get what you give in this world. If you work hard you'll hopefully be successful, if you love others hopefully you'll receive love in return. But don't be distressed if your efforts aren't being returned, life takes time!
17. Stop the comparison game. Everyone is going at a different pace and headed to a different place. It's not okay to compare your beginning to someone else's middle.
18. Don't act while angry. Pause when you feel heated and take a moment to think before you say or do anything. Come from a rational state of mind and you can avoid a lot of bad moments.
19. It's tough, but push out of your comfort zone! Even if it's just trying a new food. What's the worst thing that can happen, you hate it? Guess what, you don't have to do it/try it again!
20. Always show kindness, you never know what type of hardship someone is facing behind closed doors.
21. Start wearing moisturizer early. Your older self will thank you!
22. Embrace the things that make you unique. Some might call you weird, but knowing and accepting who you are will only make you and your life happier.
23. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want in life. You'll be surprised what will happen if you just ask!
24. Take time to enjoy life. It seems like everyone wants to be rushing forward into the next step in life, but it's important to slow down and enjoy the now. You don't want to miss the present because you were rushing into the future.
Travel Out Of The Country
Okay this is a little bit of an easy one since I have a super exciting international trip planned for this summer! But I'm so crazy excited for it since it's been in the works for a little over a year now. Can't wait to share it with you when the time comes.
Save $5000
One of my lessons for myself above was to start saving my money, and I want to make this next year the year of saving. $5k is A LOT of money, but I like having a big goal, and I would love to have that much more squared away for later. This is difficult since I'm a blogger and love to buy the latest things, but I have to put that into my budget and save money elsewhere.
Start A Fitness Routine
Since around Christmas I've been great at making it to the gym at least 4 times a week, but I would like to keep this habit up and maybe even increase it to 5 or 6 times a week. I want to make being healthy a priority, and keeping up a good routine is a perfect place to start.
Start A Bedtime Routine
Similar to my fitness goal, I want to get in the habit of good sleep. This means creating a bed time that I can stick with, limiting my screen time at night, and relaxing my mind either through reading, listening to music, or another form of calm activity to "turn off" my mind before I go to bed. I've always been the absolute worst sleeper, so I think it's time to change that.
Take My Blog To The Next Level
This is a soft goal as I don't have any particular finish line in sight. Whether it be increasing my income, connecting to more readers, taking a deeper dive into SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or something else, I want to reach further with TCB.
What do you think of these lessons and goals? Do we share anything similar? I'd love to hear your goal for the next year in the comments!
Great list! I love numbers 1,3, and 20!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! And #20 is one of my personal favorites! :)
DeleteI’m in love with this list however the perfect nails thing threw me off I have perfect nails and they aren’t fake. One persons good attribute isn’t any other persons problem or need to poke fun at.
ReplyDeleteOh no I definitely didn't mean to poke fun, I apologize if it came off that way! For me I meant it as more of a "other people may have perfect nails or they made them perfect in their own way, and you can too" and there's no need to be jealous since it is a problem you can work on. So I'm sorry if it came off any other way!
DeleteI love these! And It's so fun to see what you want to accomplish before your next birthday! I'm also hoping to grow my blog in different ways this year! Good luck on all of your goals.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I wish you the best for growing your blog and any other goals you have!
DeleteThese are some great lessons that I think everyone's younger self could do with hearing - too bad we don't always listen when we're young 😅 Good luck with all your goals, too! Hope you achieve them all!
ReplyDeleteRight, I wish I had listened to my parents more - especially about the saving money thing! My young self was not about that! Haha. And thank you!
Deletethese are awesome life lessons that you've shared babe! i wholeheartedly agree with not caring what others think of you, and just being the best version of yourself that you can be! xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! And it's a tough lesson to learn and follow through with, but it makes life so much better!
DeleteWell happy happy birthday to you, cutie! 24 is an awesome age to be. It was the age I got married and moved in with my husband. The year I decided to care less about what others thought of me and more about how I viewed myself. And I know you're going to reach SO many goals this year as well. Here's to many more birthdays to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And wow it sounds like you had a great 24!! Thank you for all the kind wishes! :)
DeleteHappy belated birthday! You have some really great goals and I hope you get them! I'd love to travel more too.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! And yes traveling is probably my number one goal, it's my favorite thing to do!
DeleteI love all of these lessons you have mentioned. Especially love #20! Totally believe in that!
ReplyDeleteKileen
cute & little
Yes #20 is one of my faves! Thank you!
DeleteAmen to all of these!
ReplyDeleteI wish I have started to save money a liiitle bit earlier. The earlier you start, the better!
Yes!! Now is better than never!
DeleteHappy belated birthday!!! 24 was such a good year for me so I hope it's amazing for you as well. Yes to spending time with the one's you love! Life is too short so surrounding yourself with your loved ones makes life way better. The comparison game is real but once you learn to stop it's amazing! Loved all of these!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And I completely agree with everything you said, it's tough to get out of those habits but once you do life is so much better!
DeleteGreat lessons and great goals! Happy belated birthday!
ReplyDeletexo Deborah
Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes
Thanks so much Deborah!
DeleteHappy birthday girl! I love all these lessons! SO many good ones here!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nataly!
DeleteWow- you’ve got some major goals and great life lessons thus far!!! Happy birthday gorgeous and I hope you accomplish all you set your mind to!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Nicole! I hope you accomplish your goals this year too!
DeleteSounds like you've gathered a lot of knowledge through the years. Happy belated birthday! I hope it was a great one. xo, Suzanne
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think I have, haha! And thank you!
DeleteThese is great advice, especially to save. It wasn't until my 30s that I realized the importance of an emergency fund.
ReplyDeleteXX, Nailil
thirtyminusone.com
At least you figured it out now though! An emergency fund is so important!
DeleteThis is such a great list! Self reflecting is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - these are all amazing lessons! I am glad I found this post, as I will be able to take some of these as advice. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete-Jenna ♥
Stay in touch? The Chic Cupcake
This is such a wise list! The most difficult point for me is to get rid of toxic people. I know that I have to leave some people in my life, because they are not good for me. But it is so difficult, because I don´t want to hurt them. But they will not change the next time and their personality simply isn´t good for me. I´ve read in my horoscope on astrosofa.com/2019, that I will get the strength to leave old patterns, which slowed me down. So perhaps reading your articles and think about leaving these people is the first step. :)
ReplyDeleteGabby