*written on August 5, 2020 for my 30th birthday

Dear Younger Self,

Today I am officially 3 decades old. Wow… do I have a lot to say as I think back on the past 30 years.

When I was your age, I definitely thought I had my life planned out. I’m going to get married by 25, travel the world by 28, have a house and kids by 30. Well… here I am at 30 (in the middle of a pandemic) trying to remember the name of the person who I saved in my phone as “Boat Dude” and finding a credit card to put my new Dyson purchase on because I can’t deal with my Amazon knock off vacuum clogging up every time I try to pick up a strand of hair… you know the struggle. Also, can I just say that the Dyson vacuum was probably the best purchase of my adult life. Yep, this is 30. You get excited about stupid shit. 

I’m definitely not where I thought I would be when I thought I could control every aspect of my life and stick to a plan. That’s one thing you’ll find out as you grow older. Life never really goes as planned, in fact it’s quite opposite. Sometimes it scares the living shit out of me but most of the time it’ s exciting to see how it unfolds.

I wanted to write this letter because I wish I had someone to tell me to chill TF out more. When I was younger I stressed excessively over what I thought people expected of me or how I was supposed to act. Always worried about what my friends would think, what my ex-boyfriend at the time would think, my parents etc. Striving for something impossible… perfection. 

So if I could tell my younger self something, this would be it: 

1. Speak kind words to yourself because you are your biggest bully. You spend the most time with yourself so you need to love who you are and that starts with how you think and treat yourself.
2. Don’t waste your breath on something if it isn’t going to matter in 5 years. Stop overthinking and overanalyzing petty shit. 
3. If people show you who they really are, believe them. 
4. Take time for yourself. Your alone time is so imperative to your personal development. When you spend time with other people you absorb their energy so taking time for yourself and being alone helps you to reflect and replenish your personal energy. 
5. Try not to stress out so much over your job. It’s normal to feel lost and I used to put so much pressure on myself. It’s a process finding the right job that you are passionate about but it will come in due time.
6. Do the things that scare you the most because that’s where the most growth happens. If I had never created my blog I would not be working with the brands I collaborate with now. Everyone starts from ZERO.
7. Invest in your personal growth and development whether it be a coach, or signing up for online classes. All of these have contributed greatly to my success and I seek to learn more daily.
8. Your mental health is as important as your physical health. Learn to become aware of your feelings and how to process/deal with them either through meditation, journaling, reading, or therapy. 
9. The way people treat you is often a projection of how they currently feel about themself. Wish them well but don’t give into negativity and especially bullying. Don’t ruminate on how others have hurt you.
10. Practice gratitude daily. This is the most important exercise you can do to live a happy and fulfilling life. 
11. Bad things happen to good people all the time without an explanation. Life comes in waves and there will be sad times and happy times. When you are going through a rough patch, feel all the feelings, cry it out for however long it takes but remember that resiliency is the ultimate glow-up. 
12. I know this sounds cliche – but life really is TOO short so tell the people you love that you love them as often as you can.
13. Pursue creative outlets – expressing yourself artistically is incredibly beautiful and rewarding. 
14. Travel as often as you can and be open minded to different cultures. Take a solo trip! It will add dimension to your life. 
15. Volunteer and help others less fortunate than you. It is our responsibility to take care of this planet in all forms. 
16. If you start thinking that everything in life is a BLESSING then it will be. And even more blessings will flow to you.
17.  You can be the ripest juiciest peach in the world and there is still gonna be someone who hates peaches. 
18. You can’t be good at everything and that’s okay. You can’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. 
19. Celebrate the little wins. If you’re always thinking about everything you need to do instead of what you have accomplished, you’ll always feel anxious.
20. If you’ve been wronged or heartbroken, don’t worry I promise you it will get better in time. Keep pushing!
21. Get comfortable with rejection. Every “no” is one step closer to a “yes.” 
22. Nourish your body from the inside out. Be mindful of what you consume both physically and mentally. 
23. Spend time in nature. It’ll ground and re-center you.
24. Treat yourself every once in awhile. You freakin deserve it. 
25. Trust your intuition – that bitch doesn’t lie. 
26. Ultimately, you can become a victim to your own mind if you don’t know how to use it. Train it daily to see good and believe in the good.
27. Energy is your greatest currency. Like attracts like. Your aura is your greatest attractor. 
28. Sometimes you have to provide your own closure and that’s okay. Don’t hold onto what has hurt you. 
29. Your purpose is not to compare your light or brightness to any other star. It is to celebrate the light of other stars while celebrating yours too.
30. Be kind. Be loving. Be happy always. Be unapologetically yourself.