How is it to enter the 3rd decade of life!
How does it feel to step into your thirties! Does it feel too old? Does it feel young enough?
Recently, I bid adieu to my twenties and entered the golden decade of my life — Yes. I believe the 30s to be the most special, the most powerful time for almost everyone.
I remember the day, when it was actually that date on the calendar when I was 30 years old. A few months before that, I was carrying all the worldly pressure on my shoulders, and the anxiety that I am no more a 20-something!
But the most interesting moment was on my 30th birthday. I didn’t feel bad about growing old. I didn’t feel that the clock is ticking, just for the sake of it. I had no regrets and did not feel like time is slipping out of my hands. In fact, I felt empowered. I felt on top of the world. It was that feeling which comes after you have been hit by facing many of life’s realities. I felt that the steering wheel of my life is now actually in my hand.
For the majority of us, life in our twenties has been about education, choosing the path of career, figuring out the equations of relationships, making bucket lists, exploring and understanding ourselves and the world around, and, balancing on the pendulum of either chilling out completely or be anxious due to the uncertainties of how the life will lay itself for us.
To actually say, nothing significantly changes just when the clock strikes 12, and you turn 30! But the fact that you are now supposedly an independent adult, matured by your thoughts, ideas, and emotions, becomes stronger when you see your entry into the third decade of life. Even though age is just a number, you start understanding that this number is limited for you. Life IS moving ahead. It then becomes really truly important to start focusing on what really matters to you. What are the things for which you are ready to spend your energy and time, and which are the areas ok to be left aside? As the book says, we all have a very limited number of f***s to give, so it becomes really an important question to decide and choose the priorities.
For me, my twenties have been a rollercoaster on almost all fronts of life. Life has been generous enough, to give me a varied set of experiences, especially about relationships. But now that I am developing a better understanding of myself, those are the experiences that taught me so many lessons to stand strong today. Like me, I am sure many of us second to this that with the twenties passing by, we have learned to handle ourselves, learned to detangle ourselves from toxic issues. Life surely has moved ahead, but I believe it is always about bettering yourself with what you were yesterday. Though we strive to do it daily, growing up gives us clarity while doing so. It assures us, that in the process of having it all, it is ok to make mistakes, it is ok to not be perfect. Being yourself and listening to your heart, is what matters at the end of the day.
When I was in my twenties, I wanted almost all of what life could offer! But today, I am happy and focused on what I really want, and can absorb, while not compromising on what my soul craves for. It is with the time that you really understand the role and importance of your family, and those special few, who really matter to you. It is with age that you realize that you must take care of yourself — your body, your mind, and feed your soul with utmost positivity. You realize that even though the universe has abundant energy to give you, it is with you to absorb it wisely and spend it even more wisely because again, YOU are not unlimited.
In my thirties, I would be continuing to travel the world. I have been to 16 countries, and a few states in India, almost all of them as a solo traveler. Now it might get less about numbers, and more about how enriching each journey becomes. Until now, solo traveling was always exciting. It still would be, but now, taking my parents with me is on the cards. In my twenties, fitness had more tangible goals like a perfect weight or flawless skin. Now fitness defines challenges — taking and meeting new milestones, and understanding that keeping healthy and fit is more of a mental affair than physical. Career until now meant money, position, profile, and other fancy words. They still do matter, but what drives more now is, the nature of work. The meaning of ‘loving what you do’, has unfolded itself now.
To all those on the verge of saying goodbye to their twenties, it is a promise that once you embrace your thirties, you will feel empowered, liberated, and in more control of your life. Till then, enjoy every moment of your twenties, and create as many memories as possible to cherish and to look back to, when you grow up and ahead in life…
