Something to think about

The other day I was over on Freckled Italian and I stumbled across a post she had written entitled What my twenties are teaching me. Both this post and it's inspiration on the blog Fairytales are true have got me thinking; what have my twenties taught me? Next year I'll turn thirty and, I suppose, I will have to get used to the idea that I am now officially a grown up (for some reason, in my head I'm still exactly the same now as I was when I finished high school). A lot has changed over the past ten years and no matter how I feel inside (or the fact I still look about twelve) I've definitely come a long way.

Here's what I've learned so far, and the rules which I try to live by:

Worry less, live more - In my early twenties I used to worry (a lot) about what people thought of me, and to some extent I still do. The difference is that now I only worry about the opinions of the people that really matter. For example, will you really care about (or even remember) the opinions of people you barely know from work/college/university in five years time? No you will not. Making a great impression on the people you really care about is far more important.

Friendship is a weird and wonderful thing - I'm a firm believer that people both come into and go out of your life for a reason; the friends you have now are the ones that you were always meant to have. The girls I grew up with at school and for much of my college days were always the girls that I believed I would grow old with, but as the years passed our priorities changed and we grew apart. Although I found this really upsetting at the time I now see that our lives were meant to go in different directions. I'm happy for them for all that they have and I'd like to think they would be happy for me. I think that some people we meet in our lives are only meant to be fleeting friendships, and not seeing each other any more isn't necessarily a bad thing. Life's too short to waste time on people that don't care about you. I know for a fact that some of the friendships I've made even within the past year are ones that will last a lifetime, and they're the friendships that matter.

Love yourself now - I used to be three-and-a-half stone heavier than I am now and spent a number of years feeling thoroughly miserable, stuck in a vicious cycle of eating and not exercising. Seriously, life's too short. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying everyone needs to loose weight to be happy, I'm simply saying that if something in your life is making you unhappy, do something about it. It really is that easy. Weight Watchers and walking worked for me and now not only am I ten times happier, but I'm able to do so many more things than I could in the past, such as Anti-gravity Yoga and nipping around London on my fold up scooter (now people just laugh at me because I look stupid, not because I look fat and stupid - and do you know what? I don't care).

What you study doesn't have to define what you become - I know a number of people who are so hung up on not going to/not finishing uni, but here's the thing, times have changed and it really doesn't matter anymore whether you went traveling, worked your way up or got a first class degree; the school of life is more important. Developing yourself into a well rounded and, most importantly, interesting and likeable human being is what counts as far as I'm concerned. I was always adamant that I didn't want to go to university and instead went straight from college out to work, working my way up from part-time sales assistant to supervisor in one year. It was only when I returned from traveling in 2005 that I found a course I liked the sound of and decided I had nothing to loose if I studied for a degree. Since then I've even done a Masters (strange for someone who never even wanted to go to university) and am lucky enough to be working in my dream industry; fashion. But I believe the reason I am where I am now is due to the life experiences I've had along the way, and not simply because I have a degree. Ultimately, your life is what you make it and everybody's path is different, if you work hard and believe in yourself, your life can be whatever you want it to be. 

Never settle for second best - I do have a tendency to moan if something doesn't go my way but ultimately if I'm unhappy about something I move on, make a change and do something about it. That being said I also believe in perseverance. If something doesn't seem right the first time give it another go. That way at least if it's not for you, you'll know that you gave it all you could.

Stand up for yourself - I'm not a fighter (I'm a talker) but I'm loyal to a fault and am quick to defend my friends and family if they are under attack. However sometimes in the past I've found it hard to stick up for myself in difficult situations. Life's too short not to say what you feel so if someone's making you feel unhappy, speak up, be nice and remember; it's their problem, not yours.

Try to influence yourself and not be influenced by others - It's easy these days to get drawn into the latest fad or "it" item but I have found that the things that give me most pleasure are more unique and individual, and are things that appeal specifically to me. I know now that I'll get more pleasure from hunting down the perfect pair of summer sandals (albeit at a bargain price I'm sure) than heading to Primark and picking up three pairs for £20. Buy, see and do, what you like, who cares if it doesn't appeal to your friends, if you enjoy it, isn't that all that matters?

But most importantly love the life you're living and...

Visit Sarah over at Fairytales are true for a link all the other what my twenties have taught me posts