Thirty, Flirty and Thriving

Do you ever wonder what your future self would tell you if you were to meet her—what words of advice she may have? Or do you wish you could write a letter to your younger self and let her in on a couple life secrets that could have helped you years ago?

A common misconception is that by the age of 30 we ought to have every facet of our lives figured out—ha! As many of us know all too well, the reality is usually far from that. And that’s completely ok. Although we may have slightly outgrown the reckless abandon of our 20s after having acquired a few more adult responsibilities (willingly or not!), our 30s continue to be an era of exploration, learning and growth.

Women ages 50+ who have been there and done that weighed in on life in your thirties, giving tips on to how to not only survive but also thrive on life’s third floor:

1. Get your financial house in order. Start saving for retirement, like, yesterday, instead of worrying about it later. Top priorities should include paying off lingering student debts, keeping a well-stocked emergency fund for a rainy day (because it will rain at some point), not spending or investing frivolously and allocating a portion of each paycheck to a 401k or IRA account. The bottom line is start saving early and as much as possible. Your future retired self thanks you.

2. Get healthy. We’ve all heard since we were fairly young that we ought to take care of ourselves and blah blah blah, but seriously, if you’re not already healthy, get that way ASAP. The way you treat yourself has a cumulative effect over the years—you’re not typically going to break down overnight, but your body will slowly give out over time, usually without you even noticing until it’s already happened! This is the decade to stop making excuses and start fostering good health habits that will benefit you for decades to come.

3. Know, love and accept yourself—fully. Figure out who you really are, not who others expect you to be. Once you know, accept and love yourself, you are able to in exchange give love to others. This is the decade to find out what it is that inspires you and ignites your passion. Quit comparing yourself, living for others’ expectations or worrying what people may think of you. This is your time to shine and finally become comfortable in your own skin.

4. Choose who you surround yourself with carefully. Surrounding yourself with a strong, supportive network and limiting your interactions with negative people who drain your energy is vital to your overall well being and success. While in our 20s, the world is big and our life experiences are still relatively small, which can make us sometimes cling to certain people we’d be better off walking away from. Learning proper boundaries along with the word “no” allows us to not waste precious time and energy on people who don’t generally encourage our life’s journey and opens us up to truly healthy and fulfilling relationships.

5. Make time for those you care about. On the flip side of setting boundaries and limiting time with negative people, we must make an effort to cultivate and maintain relationships with those who do uplift and care about us. Our 30s tend to get insanely busy with careers in full swing, new marriages, and starting families of our own. However, it remains vital to carve out time for those who genuinely accept and love us for who we are. After all, in the end, what ultimately counts is how well we loved those who loved us back.

6. Keep growing. Life is a continuous journey, and you have by no means reached your destination in your 30s. Don’t be afraid to continue to take risks, explore, and attempt to become the best version of yourself possible. Go after that second degree or business venture, continue to travel the world, and never stop investing in your greatest asset of all: yourself. Doing so will not only help you, but also all those around you, thrive.

Have any advice you’d like to share? If so, we’d love to hear it.