Thirty

That day is finally upon me. The day I turn 3-0. The day I enter a new decade.

I can’t believe this day is here. Wow. I am getting older. I am maturing. Things that used to be important to me are no longer important. Things that used to not matter as much are becoming my top priorities. The future is bright. I am more confident in myself and my decisions more than ever. This journey of self-discovery and growth lasts a lifetime, so this journey is only beginning.

The natural tendency for me to do as I age is to reflect. Where have I fallen short? Where have I thrived? What can I do better? What have done well? The perfectionist in me would point to the flaws and in all the areas that i have failed instead of where I have succeeded. Because, let’s face it, what I envisioned for my life at 30 is clearly not my reality. In fact, my life is completely different from what I imagined.

But as my co-worker so gracefully put it, “In order to jump that big hurdle, you just have to decide that you are content with your life and enjoy it.” So, that’s what I’m doing. Instead of focusing on the bad, I’m going to focus on what is working for me at this time in my life. To buttress that statement, I’ve created a list of accomplishments made in the past 29 years.

1. Earned a master’s degree
2. Traveled to 4 countries
3. Maintaining a healthy relationship for 2 years and counting.
4. Planted a church with a group of 11 people
5. Successfully mentored 8 young women who are now enrolled in school and raising healthy children
6. Lived away from home for 3 years
7. Paid off a student loan
8. Maintained a good credit score
9. Learned to say “no”
10. Learned to code in HTML5, Javascript, JQuery, and C#
11. Updated and maintained this blog for 4 years
12. Failed, but dusted myself off and started all over again
13. Purchased a brand new car
14. Educated individuals in the US, Nigeria, and Jamaica about diseases and how to lead a healthy lifestyle
15. Got to witness my niece and nephews grow up
16. Was a good friend to others
17. Thoroughly enjoyed each year in my twenties
18. Received rigorous training at one of the world’s fastest growing technology companies
19. Learned to be content in any situation
20. Still fit the same jeans I wore in 2005
21. I am healthy
22. Managed a career change
23. Never gave up
24. Maintained a positive inner circle
25. Learned to accept myself for who I am
26. Written a couple of unpublished short stories (to be released soon)
27. Touched many lives through the S&T Blog
28. Stayed close to my family
29. Learned French
30. Played in the orchestra at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Music Awards