30 Lessons In 30 Years

Hi friends! I haven’t posted here in a while so first and foremost, thank you for being here and reading, it means the world to me!

As many of you know, I turned 30 this year, 2 months ago to be exact! Can you believe it? I can’t! To celebrate this milestone, my family surprised me with my dream trip in the Amalfi Coast! (I’ll be sharing a few pics on this blog). If you guys follow me on instagram, you know that I made a promise to share 30 lessons that I have learned in my 30 years. So I couldn’t end the year without doing so. Better late than never right?! I also never really write personal blogs so I thought this would be a fun post as I close the chapter of my 20’s and waltz into my 30s!

I am dedicating this blog post to my family, who without their love, guidance, and unwavering support, I wouldn’t be who I am, where I am, nor would I have learned half of these lessons! So, without further ado, here are 30 lessons in 30 years!

1. Family first
   • There is a saying I hear a lot in Spain: “Family over everything” and I really resonate with it. I have always valued my family but I will admit that I was once young and dumb and took them for granted. It wasn’t until I moved away that I realized just how important they are and how much I need them. Not to say I am dependent on them, but that I value what they bring into my life SO much. Distance does make the heart grow fonder. Ironically, distance has also brought us so much closer. My family is my rock, my constant, my home no matter where I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. Live in the present
   • Life is precious and delicate so absorb each and every single moment while you can. Live in the NOW, not the past, nor the future. Not only will you inevitably rid yourself of many stressors but you will be happier for it.
3. Don’t live your life on someone else’s timeline
   • There’s a lot pressure from society, friends, and even family to do X thing (graduate college, get married, buy a house, have kids etc) by X age and I personally think its BS. Who cares how old you are when and if you get married? Who cares how old you are when you buy a house? It’s nobody’s business but yours. Living YOUR life on someone else’s terms will not bring you happiness. In fact, it might bring you misery. Do things when you’re ready, when you want to, when it’s the best time for your life. Live your life on your terms and remember that it’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out in this moment.  
4. Never stop dreaming
5. Focus on relationships
   • As you get older, the quantity of friends does not matter as much as the quality. Surround yourself with good people, who love you, who support you, who cheer you on, who inspire you, and who bring quality to your life. Prioritize those friendships/relationships and give them your time.
6. Life is not a race, don’t compare yourself to anyone
   • Learn to be at peace and love who you are. Individuality is what makes us unique and what makes the world so cool. Romanticize your life. It’s the only life you have. Remind yourself that you are not behind or missing out, rather that you are where you are meant to be. Don’t compare or compete. Instead, take a look at your life, your accomplishments, and how far you’ve come and be proud of yourself.
7. Create routines and stick to them
   • This is something I struggle with on a daily basis. I thrive in spontaneity and enjoy the thrill of not knowing what I will do or give my energy to everyday but its not sustainable. So I’ve learned that routines give you the necessary structure to accomplish tasks, meet deadlines, and reach goals. As a plus, routines have been proven to help with reducing the stress of decision making (this is especially true for me in the AM).
8. Forgiveness
   • Forgive yourself and forgive others. We’ve all done and said some dumb stuff (guilty). Give yourself and others grace. Set yourself free from anger, hurt, and frustration through forgiveness.
9. Don’t hold grudges
   • Especially with people you love. What’s the point? You never know what tomorrow will bring.

10. Never loose sight of your goals
    • Life may get in the way and your intended path might be re-routed a few times. But dont get discouraged. Whenever you feel lost, remember why you started and where you want to go. Don’t let anyone or anything persuade you otherwise. Remember your goals and go after them. Only you can turn your dreams into reality. 
11. Be selfless
    • Help others whenever you can and find ways to give back. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture but a meaningful one. Whether that means opening the door for someone, carrying someone’s groceries, buying someone coffee, donating items or your time, listening or just being present when someone is in need. This, is the greatest form of gratitude
12. Be open minded
    • Even though this can feel intimidating, don’t close yourself off to new experiences or perspectives. You can learn a lot from listening to others and respecting views, thoughts, and beliefs. New experiences can be life changing! You may find a new passion, new hobby, new friends, new perspectives. It can add a lot of richness to your life.
13. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries
    • In fact, I encourage you to. Your time and energy are precious and should be treated as such. Setting boundaries is not selfish, in fact it’s healthy and necessary to create trust and even strengthen relationships. It tells people how you would like to be treated and what you are or are not willing to accept. When boundaries are mutually respected, it creates a sense of security, validation and appreciation. So set boundaries and also learn to respect them.
14. Practice patience
15. Practice gratitude
    • Growing up, I watched my mom practice gratitude day in and day out, no matter how good or how bad the situation was. I distinctly remember her being grateful for even the smallest things. Fast forward, I continue to carry this forward and practice gratitude every single day. The biggest take away is learning to be grateful for everything – The great moments AND the bad moments. The big things and the small. Doing so, has added a layer of happiness, and positivity in my life. I am forever grateful to my mom, for teaching me gratitude and it is something I will continue to pass on.

16. Be kind
    • You never truly know what other people are going through. It takes nothing from you to share a smile and pass kindness. Don’t underestimate the positive impact you can have on someone else’s day.
17. Prioritize self sufficiency and independence
    • This is one the best lessons I have learned in 30 years. Learn to love and support yourself first. Be self sufficient, make your own money, build your self, your career, your life from the ground up so that you don’t have to rely on anyone except yourself. Maintain independence especially in relationships because you never truly know what the future will hold. It’s nice to have people support you but there’s no greater feeling than knowing that you’ve got you by yourself, if all else fails.
18. Be a student for life and be a life student
    • Never stop learning. Whether it be new knowledge, skills, or competencies! And never stop paying attention to what the universe is trying to teach you. Every situation has a lesson, even the unfavorable ones.
19. Learn to be resilient
    • Life will not always go your way, it’s not meant to. You will inevitably loose, fail, and fall more than once. Doing so is important, failure gives us an opportunity to learn! It’s important to recognize this and learn healthy ways to cope so that we can pick ourselves up and rise again. You will get through tough times.
20. Change is inevitable
    • Change can be hard and uncomfortable but it can bring a lot good and freshness into life. So embrace it, adjust to it, and flow with it. And remember, we don’t grow where we are comfortable.
21. Learn to let things go
    • One bad moment does not make for a bad day, week, month, year… Learn to let things go and move forward.
22. Learn emotional intelligence
    • It’s okay to feel anything and everything, in fact I encourage you to. Emotions are real, they are natural. It’s important to be aware of your emotions and your triggers. Learn how you express emotions, how you behave around others and how you react when you are feeling certain things. Having self awareness in this area will help you be composed and in control of your emotions and not the other way around.
23. Say what you mean and mean what you say
    • This is a quote that I will never forget and one that I will always live by. It doesn’t need explanation because its quite literal. But in short, don’t be afraid to stand up and speak up for what your believe in.
24. Practice self care
    •  I am fully guilty of not making this a priority but its important to fill your cup doing things you love. Even if that means doing nothing. Do it and don’t feel guilty. We all need to recharge so that we can tackle whatever we need to. Some of my favorite ways of doing this are: taking a long bath and reading, binge watching Netflix, drinking wine and watching the sunset, walking on the beach or running with Luca. But sometimes I also enjoy drinking a glass of wine and doing absolutely nothing and it’s blissful. 
25. Sharpen up your skills in the kitchen
    • Trust me, learning how to cook good food will come in handy in any stage of life.
26. Take care of your health
    • Taking care of your body is a form of self love. Your body is with you for life. So nourish it, care for it, and love it. Build healthy habits, take your vitamins, eat well, move your body and make sure you do cardio so you can keep those arteries nice and clean!! Your physical and mental health will flourish for the better because of it.
27. Be ambitious
    • Be hungry for personal and professional growth. Don’t ever quit on yourself and keep reaching for bigger and better things!
28. You are only as beautiful as you treat others
    • This one is self explanatory and so very true. Especially if you treat others with genuine kindness.
29. Pay attention to your finances
    • Don’t get me wrong, I love to shop and sometimes feel like an unboxing queen. But it’s important to be aware of your finances, to know where your money is going, and where it’s being spent. Even more important, is having savings and making your money passively grow. Some easy ways to do this is via investments, stocks, compounding interests etc.
30. Think positive thoughts
    • Thoughts are powerful, the more you think about something, the more you welcome it into your life. This goes both ways – positive and negative things. We have the power of choosing. Avoid allowing your mind to be consumed by negativity, one negative thought, can spiralinto a vicious cycle. Train your mind to be positive. You can do this by adding one positive to every situation, no matter how small it may be. Do this everyday until it becomes a habit and then keep going until it becomes your normal and watch your life flourish.
31. Travel as much as you can
    • Bonus lesson! Did you think I was capable of leaving this one out?! See the world, try new foods, meet new people, learn different cultures without reservations. New experiences will open your eyes and humble you. You can learn a lot about humanity and the world; how good and how bad it can be. You’ll gain new perspectives and learn appreciation for everything you have. You may even discover a lot about yourself in the process. Travel, in my opinion, is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

If you have made it to the end, thank you for reading!! I hope you found this a fun read and hope that you learned something new about me. As we move onto the new year, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on this past year, set your intentions for 2023, and hopefully add one of these lessons to your life!

I would love to hear your thoughts, did any of these lesson resonate with you or surprise you?

Feel free to share one of yours own favorite life lesson learned in the comments below 👇🏽 I am interested to know!