4) Take GOOD care of yourself NOW, it WILL show up later. ( Eat Clean, Exercise Regularly & Good Skin Care Regimen) This is so true. My body is not what it used to be although by changing my eating habits I have been able to trim down. I went from wearing a size 12 to now wearing a size 6. The fact that I can, once again, fit into my senior prom dress has sent my self esteem sky rocketing.
As far as skin care goes, this is something that I’ve just started taking seriously. Two years ago I got a free chemical peel as a result of a bonfire accident. This left me, essentially, with a brand new face. My fresh new skin needed to be maintained and protected from the sun to prevent scarring and to help with the healing process. Now, Vitamin E Oil, Collagen Moisture Filler and SPF are all part of my daily regimen.
5) Understand that exercise is a way of life…just go ahead and accept it’s forever. It’s a LIFESTYLE, not a phase. Make exercise a priority. Exercise releases endorphins that make you feel HAPPY! THAT is why you feel so great afterwards! Even people with good genetics have to EARN muscle…work for it! I was doing really well with this for awhile there but my health got in the way of my fitness routine (yet again). This is something I could do better with.
6) Let go of the “wrong one” to make room for the right one…don’t settle for less than you deserve and love yourself enough to know WHAT is acceptable treatment! It took me quite awhile to learn this lesson. There was a period of time where I was with someone who I honestly and truly full heartedly. This person only took my feelings for granted and took advantage of me. It took me the longest time to realize that this was not how love was supposed to work. After we split up, I was devastated but it ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me. I am so much better off now. Now I understand what happiness really is.
7) Once you are married, stay boyfriend and girlfriend….ALWAYS go on date nights!
8) Before you have children, discuss HOW you will raise them, who plays what role and what is expected of each other as parents. Decide how the discipline will be handled and that you will always back each other up, even if you think the other person is wrong …discuss in private..not in front of the children.
9) Do not get married just because you want to have a beautiful wedding. Take your TIME! Do not rush! you CAN fall in love more than once. But… my wedding board on Pinterest is just so tempting… Kidding. I won’t rush things.
10) Listen to the voice within, allow it to guide you. If you ignore it…be willing to accept the consequences. I find that I do quite a good job of following my gut instincts. Check.
11) Learn the 5 Love Languages by Gary Smalley, it will help you relate to not only your spouse but your children, family, friends and co-workers more effectively. I actually have reviewed this and learned what kind of person I am. Maybe it’s time that I re-visit the book and look into how to relate to the people who are in my life presently… and maybe show them the parts that will help them understand me better.
12) Learn to live below your means and practice delayed gratification. This eliminates that sick feel when you can’t afford your life! NOTHING you can buy can make you feel better than knowing you could buy it if you wanted it, the opposite is a sick feel!
13) In a relationship…if they react LARGE to a small/minor situation…. move on!!!! If you don’t, you can’t say you weren’t warned, sister!
14) Make time with your girlfriends. It’s easy with careers and staring a family to let that time with them go…you NEED that female interaction. It is so easy to “lose yourself” when you have young children, this will help!
15) If you have to think if you can afford it, you cannot!
16) Learn to say NO to thing you really don’t want to do. You will become overwhelmed and unhappy trying to please everyone.
17) You do not need validation/approval from other people. Keep going if you are genuinely following the burn placed within your heart! Keep on your path!
18) Don’t ask questions you aren’t prepared to hear THE TRUTH.Wait until you are strong enough to accept whatever the answer may be.
19) Do your best to not care what people say about you. You will never please all of the people all of the time! Focus on the people that really know and love you.
20) Invest in you! When you look good you feel good and when you feel good…you can conquer the world!
21) Travel and experience what the world has to offer before settling down. Once you are married and have children it is MUCH harder. When you travel your perspectives broaden, give yourself that opportunity.
22) Earn a degree, learn another language or obtain a certification/designation in a field of your choice. Have something like this that no one can take away from you and that you can always fall back on.
24) Train yourself to sleep on your back. This prevents wrinkles! Say what!! But I snore when I sleep on my back… Predicament.
25) Remember what a man says he is thinking about…that is ALL he is thinking about! They say exactly what they mean….don’t read into it!
26) Be with someone who LIFTS YOU UP, who makes you feel good about yourself…not the opposite!!!
I can’t even begin to describe how much happier I have been since I met someone who does just this.
27) Don’t be shy about saying how you really think and feel, but do it with CLASS! You can deliver your opinion with a sandwich message…say something positive…then say what you need to say that may not be pleasant (this is being true to you as well!) and then end it with something positive.
28) Keep a journal…it is amazing to look back and read how you where feeling at the time, how many things your have be blessed with, how many things you are grateful DIDN’T happen that you originally wanted, to see how many of your prayers have been answered and see how far you have grown as a person. Although I don’t keep a journal, per say, I do have this website where I document things and I often reflect on various experiences.
29) Do what you LOVE and figure out a way to make a living doing THAT…you will be happy all the time and it will never seem like “work”. I do love my job. I honestly and truly do. I look forward to going to work each day and love the fact that I work with some of my closest friends. When you spend so much time with like minded people, you can’t help but bond with them. We’ve become a tight knit little “family”.
30) Have quiet time early each morning…your days will be MUCH better when you are consistently doing this! I was doing really well with this for awhile. I would wake up 15 minutes earlier than I needed to just so that I could listen to a morning meditation. It helped start my day with a positive note. But, life became hectic and I sacrificed those 15 minutes of peace for a few more winks of sleep. Now, my quiet time is spent at work coloring… it turns out coloring is very therapeutic.
Love your list and I can totally relate to being tentative about turning 30. But, as they all say, 30 is the new 20 and I can tell you it only gets better from here
Ahh I think I’m already screwed for number one. I went from living with my parents to living with my long term boyfriend. It would be pretty cool to live by myself but there’s not too much point in moving out while I’m in a relationship.
And I love using compliment sandwiches! I use them all the time, although often as a joke instead of using them seriously.
Wooo, here’s to 30 being even better than 29! Great tips, I’ll have to keep them in mind xx