MY 30TH BIRTHDAY

I thought it would be fun to write a post on different topics relating to my birthday: the past, the present and the future.

1. Past: 20 Things I Learned In My 20s

2. Present: What I Did and Got for My 30th Birthday

3. Future: How I Feel About My 30’s So Far and Plans/Goals

Let’s get started!

1. Past: 20 Things I Learned In My 20s

My 20s were kind of a crazy time. I was still learning about who I was, what I wanted to do with my life, how I wanted to spend my time, how to express myself, going through my first heartbreak… the list goes on and on. That being said, I definitely learned a lot and grew a lot in my 20s, so I wanted to summarize my 20s in 20 short points:

CAREER

1. Never too late - I learned that it is never too late to change careers if you aren’t happy with how you make a living. I am now loving life and look forward to doing my job every day - I actually get excited about it and look forward to Mondays!

2. Stay humble - This is not really something I learned but something that I practiced. Humility is something that not many people exercise in this day and age (especially in a competitive workplace). There were times I was blamed for mistakes I simply did not make, but chose to be humble and not steep to the level of pointing the finger at someone else.

3. Own your mistakes - This goes hand in hand with my last point. Everyone makes mistakes, so owning up to the ones you make shows your good character - no matter the consequences. I acknowledge the mistakes I make. I may get in trouble, but the knowing that I am doing the right thing is the ultimate reward.

4. Put your health before your job - I learned that although it’s very important to work hard at everything you put your mind to, it is not right to work to the point where it interferes with your health. It is okay to set boundaries.

5. Dream big - “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established” - Proverbs 16:3

RELATIONSHIPS

6. Heartbreak makes you stronger - At one point I thought I couldn’t be happy without being with my first love. But slowly, my heart mended and I got through it. I became stronger and grew into the person God wanted me to before meeting my now husband.

7. Never let your heart harden - it is easy to just write off dating after one or two bad relationships. But don’t let bad experiences get in the way of a potentially fantastic relationship… a loving and supportive relationship with someone is one of the best gifts life has to offer!

8. Don’t try to change your partner - loving your significant other means loving ALL of them. That is also why it is so important to be with someone who loves and supports you and treats you well. Any sign of unfaithful or in any way abusive behaviour - RUN.

9. Don’t settle - when things didn’t work out, it was because God had someone WAY BETTER for me. In the moment that might be hard to understand, especially fresh after a break-up, but have faith and trust that there is someone PERFECT for you. I was 29 when I met my now husband. I waited a long time and it was SO worth it. I am thankful for my husband every day and I know we were meant to be together.

10. Honesty is the best policy - don’t put up a front or act the way you think you should act when dating someone. Show who you really are. If they judge you based on these things and reject you, just know that you were better off without them in the first place.

FAITH

11. Believe that God’s got your back - life has its many challenges, and we often don’t know when they’ll come up. The one thing that really comforts me when I am facing difficult times is that God knows EXACTLY what I’m going through and He is ultimately in control. He will never let you go through more than you can handle and with His help, you will surprise yourself with the amount you can endure.

12. Forgive really fast - not forgiving someone is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. Being angry is like poison. It cripples you and prevents you from being truly happy. Forgiveness isn’t something that just randomly happens. It is a choice and, albeit rather difficult, it will turn your entire life around if you practice it. Forgiveness is for you and your health and happiness.

13. Do stuff for others - something as small as smiling at someone can completely turn their day around. I’ve learned that doing something for someone, stranger or friend… or for those more advanced… a foe, is just as rewarding (if not more) for you as it is for the one you’re helping.

14. Be mindful of what influences you - I’ve learned to question everything I hear. I’ve grown a lot since I began my 20’s (thankfully) and what I know and understand now is very different from what I thought I knew 10 years ago. One of the main things I’ve learned are the influences in my life. Don’t let people’s opinions of others influence your own opinions of them. Don’t just adopt one news source’s portrayal of a story without looking at the source itself. There are always different points of view and the influences you allow into your life (which includes what you spend your time on and who you spend your time with) can shape your beliefs and views on important matters. Be smart. Think for yourself and question everything.

15. Don’t try to be anyone but yourself - God created you in His image. I have always been an introvert, but throughout my life I thought there was something wrong with that - people said that was a sign of being insecure. Sure there are people who are shy because they are insecure, but that is definitely not the case every time. I know now that I am an introvert not because of an insecurity, but because I genuinely do like spending time by myself. I don’t say as much as the average person - I often prefer listening, learning and observing and when I want to speak, then I speak.

SELF REFLECTION

16. Be yourself - this goes hand-in-hand with my previous point. God created you the way you are for a reason. Don’t be afraid of other people’s opinions and what they might say or think if you just be yourself. It’s the most freeing thing to just be authentic and not worry about other people’s thoughts and judgments.

17. Don’t be a people pleaser - I’m going to let you in on a little secret: You cannot please everyone. You can be perfect and people will hate you (look at how Jesus was treated). Once you accept that there will always be a few haters around, it changes your perception of how you should be acting. You can state your thoughts and beliefs and if someone happens to be around to disagree with you (or even start hating on you because of it), you can be more prepared to accept that they may not like or agree with what you’re saying. And it’s okay to disagree on things! That’s what is so great about the USA - FREE SPEECH! It’s your right to express yourself verbally. Discuss your opinions on various topics. But don’t change your beliefs and thoughts just to please others.

18. Take care of your body - not a surprising lesson learned as I am getting older! I’ve noticed that, although I am still relatively young, I am definitely not 20 anymore and don’t bounce back quite as fast as when I was that young. Taking care of my body means being kind to it. Give it healthy and nutritious foods, hydrate well, exercise, stretch, get enough sleep, take care of your hair and skin, eyes and teeth. Your body will thank you in the long run!

19. Always continue learning - I found that after I finished school, I had a really strong desire to just learn on my own. Maybe it’s because I’m not forced to study what the teacher tells me and I’m not being graded on my work, but I just love learning and studying in my spare time! Keeps my brain healthy too :)

20. Remember you only have one life - don’t say I’ll do it tomorrow. Do it today! Because today is the only day we have.

2. Present: What I Did and Got for My 30th Birthday

1. What I did

A week before my birthday, I went to dinner with some of my close friends which was awesome! I went to a place called M8 in Vancouver.

My best friend flew in from Toronto and we drove down to Seattle for a night of fun! I stayed at the Palihotel - a very cool retro-style boutique hotel. That night we went to some pretty cool bars in Capitol Hill!

On my actual birthday weekend, I went to Arizona with my boyfriend. We spent the weekend with his family and they had a Mexican-themed party where I met a lot of his close friends and family. He also took me to some amazing restaurants - one of which was Different Pointe of View!

In July, my parents had a barbecue for me and invited our family for my birthday as well. Love having some family time!

2. What I got

• Lots of flowers - roses are my birth flower so I received quite a few of those!

• A few bottles of wine - both red and white!

• Beautiful Tiffany Knot Earrings from my then-boyfriend (now husband!) - he surprised me with them when we were on our way to the airport to catch our flight to Arizona <3

• Some green paper from my friends and family (which I used primarily to buy myself a Smeg Toaster and some household items at Anthropologie!)

3. Future: How I Feel About My 30’s So Far and Plans/Goals

As I am writing this, I am 31 so it’s already been over a year since I turned 30. So far I love it! I think that’s mainly due to the fact that I got married to the most wonderful man in the world ;)

My plans for the next decade? I’d say move to our starter home, adopt a dog (at least one), start a family, pursue my career as an online creator, and be as healthy and as happy as I can be! These are just off the top of my head - there are a lot more goals and aspirations I have but I will save those for future posts!

Talk soon!

xo,

Kristina