So this month I turn….
…33. Yyyyyyep. 3 decades and a bit.
25th October 1981. Born on the same day as English footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and actor Josh Henderson. Except that I was clearly not one of those good looking babies. Lol
As #Babybaby (my husband) and I were at the mall running some errands earlier we came across a shop selling Halloween-themed merchandise, and it just reminded me that my year was almost up. I don’t know how that happened overnight, but y’know, I was just thinking about it and I must admit that I feel so much more settled in my thirties. I feel less jumpy, less insecure and least sociable.
But that’s the honest truth. I don’t know about you, but I have fewer friends now, yet the ones that I spend time with are real. And out of the 20 signs of maturity for both men and women, #20 is most evident at this point. Lol.
Common question: Any regrets so far?
Yes and no. As much as I don’t regret the priceless experiences of the past (i.e. the not-so-wonderful-things that happened, trials, tribulations, you get the idea), I wished I had learned certain things sooner. Here are 5 things I believe every girl should know; the sooner in life, the better.
1) How to invest
http://www.matcofinancialinc.com/
As much as we try to ignore it, fact is, “saving” money in the bank only causes our hard-earned cash to erode over time. Think about it. What’s the current rate of inflation vs. the interest we’re getting from our banks? Have you calculated the future value of your potential savings in the next 30 to 40 years? And just how long do you intend to slave your butts off in a job you don’t enjoy? I wished I knew sooner that value investing wasn’t exclusive to the rich, and that I could start learning how to achieve my targeted CAGRs with as little as $1000.
2) How to say no.
No to toxic relationships, no to stressing over trivial matters, no to trying to please everyone, no to wanting to be like someone else, and no to accepting “no” for an answer and just following your dreams. I also learnt that if I found myself being unhappy about something, the best thing I could do for myself was to stop complaining and actually do something about it. And if there was nothing I could do about, I’d force myself to change the way I think about it. Easier said than done, but believe me, that little change in attitude can make all the difference.
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. ”
http://www.nursinguniforms.net/
3) Money is a cure for most things except our health
http://1.bp.blogspot.com
Clocking 20-hour work days and consecutive sleepless nights over the past decade and a bit, definitely took a major toll on my health. Since I started work at the age of 16 through my late twenties, I was so engrossed in the chase to financial freedom that I became oblivious to the fact that my body was rotting from the inside. The compound effects of a poor diet and the lack of sleep may not seem evident at the start, but once it gets to your attention, it’s probably too late. I discovered it the hard way. The sooner you learn to treat your body with respect, the better. Plus, you’re never too young to supplement your lifestyle with the right natural vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. Remember, our body is like a bank account. If we keep withdrawing from it and not replenishing it at the same rate, we would eventually be in trouble.
4) Think big picture
http://www.foolsgoldpuzzles.com/
I used to fuss so much on the little things without realizing the long term impact on the bigger scale of things. “Is it worth it?”, “What do I accomplish by doing this?” and “Why exactly am I doing this?”. Before indulging in an argument or putting your heart and soul into something you perceive to be important at a certain point in time, asking yourself questions like these may just save you the list of long-term regrets. Remember, your time is valuable. Spend it wisely on things that will count in the next decade or so because 10 years will go by in a wink, and you have no time for regrets.
5) It’s never the end of the world
Sure, we’ve either experienced, or are bound to experience heartaches, dissapointments and a broken heart at some point in this lifetime. As mentioned in the story of my life, there were several points in my life that felt I had exhausted all my reasons to live. From sleeping pills to jumping onto the train tracks, I considered a lot of things. I’m not proud of it, but I eventually gathered that God always gives His hardest battles to His toughest soldiers. Just that sometimes we wish He didn’t trust us so much. *laugh*
Don’t be afraid to go through hard times, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The bigger the mistakes, the bigger your chances for success. We are all bound to make mistakes, so the sooner you make them, the better. Remember that breakdowns create breakthroughs. Sometimes, things have to fall apart so that better things can fall together.
“Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.”
http://www.funnyjunk.com/
Hope this helps! Big hugs!!
