Life from 30 to 31

Today I am 31.

Some people don’t like birthdays. They worry about getting older or whatever it may be. Me? Im the opposite. I see celebrating a birthday as a success. Like, “Look! You’ve made it to another year! Congrats!”. Life is hard. The fact that I’ve lived to 31 is something to celebrate. 

This has been a year of massive emotional progress and self-mastery on a whole new level. I am a completely different person than I was this time last year, and I still have such a long way to go. It’s been quite the year. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

• Eat as many vegetables as possible. Color your diet. Watch the sugar. But really…. watch the sugar! 
• Health and happiness trump money and success. 
• Plan for the future but don’t live in it.
• Slow down. Look around. Enjoy the moments. There is no rush. 
• Be a student of life. Never, ever, ever stop learning. 
• Happiness isn’t found in reaching any goal or achievement. It is found in the present moment. It is found where you are right now. 
• Love people. Enjoy the sunsets. Watch the fireworks. Swim in the ocean. Laugh until you cry. Eat the chocolate. Do all the little things that bring you joy. Savor it (every second of it). 
• You have enough time for everything that matters in your life. 
• If you don’t risk anything, you risk everything. 
• Stop spending your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you. 
• Be yourself and be true to yourself. If you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.
• If you want to do it then you should. Life isn’t going to wait for you. Do it now. 
• Life can be really really hard and shitty at times. You’ll be handed things you think you can’t handle and challenges that stretch you in every way possible.  You can either let it destroy you or let it strengthen you. Choose to transcend and grow. Allow your struggles to bring more meaning to every moment in your life.  
• Your face will change. Your body will change. The only kind of beauty that endures is the kind that lives in your heart. 
• Stepping onto a brand new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation that no longer fits, or no longer exists.
• Judge less, love more. Everyone you meet has a story. Encourage others and be kind. It’s a really easy way to make the world a better place.
• Work hard. Rest well. Learn to disconnect. Engage in self-care. In the marathon of life, the key is learning to be mindful & pace yourself.
• Be the type of person you want to meet and be around. Seek to be a person of value not just success. You were born with the ability to change someone’s life. Don’t ever waste it. Be kind. Be present. Be someone who makes a difference
• Everything in life is temporary. Life changes every second and so can you. 
• Mental and spiritual fitness is THE essential ingredient to your health and happiness. Stress will kill you (literally). Take as much care of your mind as you do your body. Health really comes from the inside out. 
• It costs nothing to be positive and it changes things for the better. 
• You cannot control everything that happens in life, but you can control how you respond.  In your response is your greatest power.
• Accept yourself for all that you are. And never stop challenging yourself to be all that you can be.

Personal growth is an ongoing process and it is never “finished”. I am proud of myself for the changes I’ve made and the challenges I’ve overcome this year. It hasn’t all been rainbows and unicorns, there have been tears, internal tantrums, anxiety, and sadness. But it’s all helped make me into who I am today. I am proud of myself for the woman I am and believe in the woman I aspire to be. 

I wouldn’t want to exist in a world where I am not being challenged, not growing, not becoming stronger and more self-aware. I know that every moment I push myself to grow is making me a better person, and giving me the ability and self-belief to traverse other, more difficult situations in the future. I believe that if we can gain self-mastery, while treating ourselves with love, compassion, and forgiveness, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

Here’s to another great year of learning, growing, loving, and living. Thank you for being a part of my journey and a part of my heart. My life wouldn’t be the same without you in it. 

Love,

Caroline

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