30th Birthday Celebrations and Lessons from my 20’s!

Night # 2 of my birthday celebrations! Left to Right >> Tina, me, Jen, and Daye.

Turning 30 seems like a big deal, right?! OR maybe its not and I just made Ryan (my boyfriend) start my birthday countdown in June. I like to think it was more for him so he didn’t forget my special day ;)

But honestly, I’ve always looked forward to turning 30. For some reason I thought, once I’m 30 I will have a superhuman amount of confidence that will ooze out of me. I won’t care what others think, and I definitely won’t go out of my way to impress other people. But I have to say, I didn’t really feel much different the day after my birthday. If anything I was tired and puffy from all the good food and drinks! Totally worth it though. Who can pass up on Ribeye steak and frites, chips and guac, margaritas, sushi, and dairy free ice cream?! NOT THIS GIRL.

But in all seriousness, I think we tend to do this a lot in life, “once I get the job,” or “once I lose the 10 pounds,” or “once I move to the new city,” or “once I meet the perfect person,” I’ll be happy.

I can’t say that I feel confidence oozing out of me, or that I don’t care what others think of me. What I can say, is that I am MUCH more sure of myself and my decisions than I was 10 or even 3 years ago! Of course this comes with life experience, growing pains, and working on myself. At 25 there’s NO WAY I would’ve moved to Vancouver and left everything that was familiar to me in Victoria. That might seem like a small move to some, but I’m a homebody at my core (shout out to all the Cancer signs out there!) and find comfort in a routine and familiarity.

Something else I FEARED in my early 20’s was traveling. I would get so anxious about where I was going to workout, what foods I could eat, and if I was going to come back 10 pounds heavier, it was paralyzing. I’m so grateful that I am able to travel to new parts of the world and experience other cultures, and of course the FOOD! I had to step out of my comfort zone and learn how to trust myself, and I’m so happy that I did. I’ve learned to balance exercise and still eat somewhat “healthy” when I travel.

This last one is an on-going journey for me, but I’m confident that my relationship with my body, exercise, and food will continue to evolve as the years go on. As someone who struggled with eating disorders and exercising obsessively, I didn’t have space for anything else in my life. That meant my relationships, work, and health suffered. I was so wrapped up in chasing an unattainable body image in my late teens and early 20’s, because I thought that’s how people would love and respect me. If I was lean, fit, and had a 6-pack, then I would be happy and HAVE IT ALL. Boy was I wrong. In my mid-late 20’s I started to turn a corner, and day by day I became less obsessed with the way my body looked and instead, I was able to appreciate it for everything that it had done for me, and continues to do. At 30, I think you start realize that there are SO many other important and precious things in this life than stressing about the way you look. I am able to pull myself out of those thoughts when I feel myself getting drawn into that negative self talk. I know in my core that my self worth is NOT wrapped up in the way I look. Quite honestly, it’s probably near the bottom of the “what makes me interesting and a genuine person list”.

I’m only 3 days into being 30 years old, but so far I’m diggin’ it, probably because I took a 4 day weekend. You only turn 30 once right?! I’ve experienced a lot in the last decade, and I cant’ wait to see what the next 10 years has in store, hopefully 2 kittens and a Corgi, just sayin’. A girls’ gotta have dreams.

See my INSTAGRAM post for a quick recap of my 20’s! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz6wo1kF1L8/

- Alicia xx