30 Life Lessons as I Turn 30
So I have officially turned the big 3-0 - THIRTY! I don’t quite have this ‘new woman’ feeling, I have a few weird emotions swirling around but I do have some fabulous new GLOW GETTING GOALS for this year and ladies, I’m aiming high! From my experience our 20s are the time to be making mistakes, exploring our aspirations and setting the foundations for our future. For me my 20s involved getting married, finishing off my university studies, moving to Iran, having my darling daughter (Mouse) and moving back to London and starting my blog The Conscious Glow Getter amongst other business ventures (that I will share more of soon!). As you can see, a lot has happened and I’ve learned so much along the way. So I wanted to take the time to share 30 life lessons as I turn 30!
30 will be young for some, and older for others, but it was really when I became a mum that my life’s purpose really came into focus. I remember looking at Mouse thinking this little being is in my care, I am responsible for everything, to feed her, love her, take care of her and along the way realised it is just important to care for myself! Good-bye mummy guilt and hello self-care, self-love. I have learned so many lessons through the years and I wanted to take the time to write them down and really reflet on how far I’ve come. So here is a fun list of 30 life lessons I have learnt (and some I’m still learning haha!) as I turn 30:
30 Life Lessons as I turn 30
1. It’s ok to say no. I find it so hard to say NO, the guilt of letting someone down, even worse if I hear the words “ I don’t think you can manage all of this”. Well, you know what? Yes, yes I can.
2. Friend’s come and go… and that’s ok! Sometimes if I look back at some of the friends who I spent a chapter of my life with but no longer in contact I would get sad. However, I’ve now appreciated those friendships for when I needed them and what we brought to each other’s lives. I also then focus on the present as I have an amazing set of girl friends that even if we don’t speak for weeks, months, we pick up where we left off… these are friends for life!
3. Love yourself before anyone. This might sound selfish, when I first saw this I couldn’t have disagreed further, especially when having a child. But in fact if you can love yourself you in turn can love more, give more and feel fulfilled. Get that bit of selfcare in and LETS GLOW.
4. There is no mental health without physical health. If I am having a unproductive day or cannot shake off a feeling of impending doom (it happens just before the time of the month…ugh!) as soon as I have done some exercise, my whole outlook changes. Whether that’s a run outside, an online Zoom class, a jet sweat class or just a 20 minute walk its like the whole world has changed and my mood is lifted. I’m able to refocus and tackle any obstacles that come my way with a more grounded and positive outlook.
5. Never say never - a lesson from my mum! She always used to say this to me, I now find myself saying it to Jasmine. Our mind is so powerful, we can strive to achieve our goals, there is no point starting out with a negative perception as you are tainting it already. I am a big believer of the power of energy, positivity is key!
6. It’s not beauty sleep if you leave your makeup on. Seriously! This is the number one rule for skincare at ANY AGE. Lets put the beauty in beauty sleep and wash your face before bed!
7. Never believe a single skincare product is going to change everything over night. We always want to see results straight away, whether that’s because the power of beauty marketing has given us false hope in a new miracle spot treatment or starting a new regime and expecting to GLOW after a few days. However, our skin needs approx. 4 weeks to see results from adding in a new product! Be patient and do your research about every product you choose to integrate into your routine.
8. STOP comparing. The grass will always look greener - it is so easy to look at someone and compare the various aspects of their life we are envious of. Comparison is the thief of joy, focus on what you have and not what others have that you do not.
9. Cherish the people you love. Above all else, choose love!
10. Kind beats smart. Sometimes it’s more important to be kind, than be right. Choose kindness always!
11. Fall in love with the process. We are all at different stages our our lives and there is no one path to take. It’s so easy to just think of the end goal and forget to cherish every part of the journey. This blog for instance is a reflection of my conscious beauty journey, I am in LOVE with the process and can’t wait to see where it goes from here!
12. Never stop learning. I don’t know about you but I love the structure that comes from learning a new topic, or hobby , it completely effects every other aspect of my life in a positive way. Always set goals that allow you to glow and grow!
13. Find beauty in the little things. We take for granted so many aspects of our life, not intentionally, however, its important to sometimes step back and see what is in front you because life’s beautiful!
14. Wearing your heart on your sleeve doesn’t mean you are weak. I was always called a cry baby and I have learned that it’s ok! I embraced my emotions and am stronger for it.
15. Always wear SPF. @Carolinehirons quotes in her new book, “The majority of sun damage is done in your first 20 years.” We all love a little golden glow to our skin, but not at the expense of damaging our skin barrier, premature ageing and even worse skin cancer!
16. Being a mother has taught me the power of self advocacy. During and post-pregnancy I suffered from anxiety (sudden surge of hormones potentially) and it was difficult to speak up. However, pushing for the best for Mouse has given me my confidence back and in turn, the power to speak for myself.
17. It’s ok not to be ok. We put so much pressure on ourselves to always be put together, or that we think we don’t deserve to be sad etc. we don’t always have our s**t together and that is ok!
18. Health is wealth. I think more than ever we are realising the importance of our health especially as we are living in a pandemic. You have nothing without your health, it is something to truly cherish and be grateful for.
19. Patience is a virtue. All good things come to people that wait, it’s an amazing life skill to have. One my mummy once again always ingrained in me!
20. Don’t have self limiting beliefs. You’re not reaching your full potential if you think small….. dream big!
21. Treat people the way you want to be treated. One we all learned in grade school, and still to this day this is the way to live your life as the best version of yourself.
22. Be assertive and confident. We all want to be confident but that is not possible without being assertive, which is tricky! It’s a balancing act of voicing your opinion without coming across as aggressive or submissive, one I’m still working on mastering!
23. Know yourself. If you don’t know yourself how can anyone know who your are.
24. Your skin is the foundation. It is the biggest organ of your body and deserves your full attention!
25. “Work with your skin, not against it.” - @Carolinehirons. As we age our skin changes and these changes need to be followed by skincare routine changes! Adapt to your skin with new products and treatments to keep your skin as healthy and glowing as ever.
26. Create good skincare habits young. This will definitely put you in a good place as you grow older.
27. Beauty starts from within. This ethos is close to my heart, in all aspects our GLOW starts from within. Being happy and beautiful inside shines through, and being healthy inside makes you GLOW on the outside.
28. Walk your own path. Whatever that path looks like, its yours, don’t let anyone get in the way of that.
29. Make every moment count. Life is short and who knows about tomorrow, treasure every single moment. Literally, I feel I went to sleep and woke up and I was 30 overnight!
30. Never judge a book by its cover. I learnt this one quite young from personal circumstances, everyone would judge who I would be by looking at me, but 99.9% of the time they were very wrong! You never know what hardships or battles someone else is facing and we never know what is going on inside. Step back and think before you act, because as I’ve mentioned before, we should all have courage and above all, be KIND.
I hope you all enjoyed my 30 life lessons I have learnt (and am continuing to learn!). They are a mix of beauty/motherhood and general life lessons that if I could talk to my 20 year old self, I would! I am sure we can all reason with some of these. I would love to hear what your most important LIFE LESSON? Let me know in the comments below or drop me a note at stephanie.abri@icloud.com. Thanks for celebrating my birthday week with me, fellow glow getters!
XO Steph
