Wow – where the fuck did that come from?
I don’t know about anyone else…but for a year where we haven’t been able to do ANYTHING it’s flying by! Ok so maybe that’s a slight over-exaggeration, but I think it’s safe to say that this year hasn’t quite gone the way we all planned. I know that when I imagined my 30th celebrations it was going to be quite a big ordeal. In reality, it was a much smaller affair…drinks with my girls, a tattoo session, and then eating way too much food with the familam. Do you know what? It was pretty damn perfect!
30 before 30
So if you’ve been following this from the start you’ll know that last year I created a 30 before 30 list. The reason for this? After coming out of a 10 year relationship I needed to re-discover myself and take charge of my life…well in my 30 before 30 review post you’ll see that it didn’t exactly go to plan (thanks covid-19) but despite that, I have been on a pretty incredible journey…I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully put into words quite how transformative this year has been for me (but I’ll ramble on and do my best).
Then and Now
Both of these pictures are taken from my birthday celebrations…one from a year ago and one from two days ago. I found the first picture when I was looking back at my first ever blog post and I was immediately struck by the difference between these two photos, it’s like they are two completely different people.
The girl on the left had made the brave decision to leave the life she had always wanted…because she knew deep down that it was no longer good for her…I will be forever grateful to that girl for her courage as I literally wouldn’t be where I am today without her taking that first brave step, and all of the other brvae steps that followed. It was a step onto a path that has quite literally change my life.
I look at that photo and I see a sad, tired, and heartbroken girl who was quite honestly exhausted, lost, and had no idea what to do. How I wish I could go back in time, give her a hug, tell her it would all be ok and show her the picture on the right!
Because you know what, life is now better than ok…it’s fucking awesome! Do I still have my wobbles and dark days? Of course I do…it’s all part of being human, and whilst this year hasn’t quite gone as planned…I have learnt soo much.
Looking at the photo on the right, I see a confident, happy woman who is free to be who she is meant to be. She knows what she wants in life, and is going to do everything in her power to go and get it!
The journey ahead
When I read my first blog post “All about me” I was reminded of the three lessons that I wanted to take forward with me into the next decade:
- Don’t take ANYTHING for granted – still VERY true…particularly given the challenges this year has brought us.
- Putting yourself first is NOT selfish, it’s NECESSARY! – this is super important…you can’t pour from an empty cup.
- Be PRESENT – this one I still have to work on sometimes (Alice likes to play the what if game) but I have found that by being present in the moment, I get so much more satisfaction out of life, and WAY less stress!
I think at the time, I was having to really work hard to put these into practice whereas now I feel that these are core parts of my life and rules that I try to live by every day.
I can honestly say that I am super excited to see what the next decade brings. No doubt it will be scary at times, and I will face new challenges and continue to learn more about myself…but I’m excited to ride this crazy rollercoaster that is my life.
Wishing you all the best for the future …..love you