I’m excited to announce that I’m turning THIRTY on March 10th & I’ve never felt happier or more myself.

So many people talk about ‘getting old’ like it’s a bad thing.

I don’t look at it like that in the least. My viewpoint of another year coming to a close is, ‘Wow! I’ve learned so much & I’m so much happier because of it!’

Life and the way you look at it, live it, see it, enjoy it — is all in the eye of the beholder.  You’re the one who decides how you’re going to live your life and what you’re going to do with it. With age comes the experience that helps us shape our opinions and for me, my artistic voice.

Below are 5 things that I wish I would have known in my twenties…

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff! It’s easy to let little frustrating things or failures pile up and become overwhelming but believe me when I tell you, don’t waste your energy worrying. It doesn’t help you. Focus on learning from your mistakes or how you could do it better and move on.
2. Get all the experience. If you’re feeling a little lost or not quite happy at your current job or in life — go and find something that you’re interested in or curious about and start doing it. It’s never too late to try something new and you will always benefit from learning no matter where you end up in the long run.
3. Be yourself & be proud! It’s ok to be unsure about some of your opinions on life but never compromise what your instincts tell you. Surround yourself with people that love and care about you and support what you are doing and keep your integrity in when making decisions.
4. Write down your dreams, goals & aspirations! It’s easy to get lost in the day to day routine and lose sight of what your dreams are. Before you know it you could win up wondering what you did the past ten years. By writing down your dreams (even if they seem unattainable), goals and aspirations you will consciously or unconsciously start taking steps in the direction that lead you towards those things. Keep a journal that’s dedicated to these things and every 4-6 months look at it to see how it’s going. You can always revise it if the above change!
5. ENJOY IT ALL. Take joy in the little things, the big things and the things in between. This kind of goes hand in hand with #1 above but it’s taking it a step further. I always like to refer to one of my favorite movies, ‘About Time’ when I thinking of enjoying all the aspects of life – the good, bad and ugly. It’s all a part of the process and what matters most is how you take it all in and use it to continue creating the future you want.

Even if your not in your twenties, I hope you found some inspiration in this post to go out there and live life to the fullest.

Here’s to turning 30 & never looking back!

XOXO, Katie

Photography by: Azusa Takano