Do You: Making It to 30 and Beyond

Today, I've been thinking about how much I have grown as a person over the last few years. I am not yet 30, but I'm beginning to realize why 30 is such a comfortable age. Turning 30 is different for everyone, but the process of getting to 30 is the same. I still have a little time before I reach the mark, but I'm in preparation for the great years ahead.

The tumultuous 20s, as I call them, are the years where you have fun and find yourself. Having fun is the easy part, but finding yourself is where the hard work takes place. Each year that I get closer to 30, I have noticed a few changes in my attitude, perceptions of situations and life events, and goals. The best way to describe where I was in my different stages of the 20s is below.

Early 20s

1. Excited
2. Ready for change
3. Friendly
4. Free spirited
5. Compassionate (at all times)
6. Unrestrained
7. Hopeful
8. Broke all the time

Mid 20s

1. Depressed
2. Tearful
3. Doubtful
4. Insecure
5. Stressed
6. Confused
7. Broke most of the time
8. Regretful

Late 20s

1. Secure with myself
2. Happy about life
3. More self confidence
4. Less stressed
5. Financially conscious and broke occasionally (we're in a recession)
6. Patient
7. Selfish. I actually think about myself these days.
8. More health conscious with regards to preventative care
9. More responsible.
10. Less accepting of foolishness
11. Less regretful
12. Forgiving
13. I ignore people....A LOT.
14. I'm comfortable with saying "NO".

The development over time has surprised me. I feel like a lab rat that is thrown into adverse situations repeatedly to see how it will come out in the end. Life has definitely thrown me some hoops, but I would not change a thing. Through these past few years, I have definitely learned that stress is not worth the pain that it can cause to your mind, body, and soul. My advice to you all is to let go. Forgive. Don't be full of regrets. You cannot turn back the hands of time. The only reason you should look back is to learn from past mistakes.

One thing I have learned is to keep the excitement you had in your early 20s for the rest of your life. Life will go on whether you are dead or alive, so don't let stressful situations shorten your life. Look at it like this. If you go to work everyday and work hard (instead of smart) to meet your deadlines and numbers but you're not taking care of yourself, when you die from exhaustion and stress guess what will happen. Someone will be hired to fill your place.

Do you! At the end of the day, don't let people tell you who you should be. Do you. Live your life. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy who you are and who you've grown to be. Even enjoy what you've been through. Your life experiences are what make you who you are. Growing into a mature adult has taught me to spend more time pleasing myself rather than consuming myself with pleasing others. Yes, you can do nice things for people in your life and be considerate, but you also have to think about yourself sometimes.

When did you become so insignificant that you began to not matter? You are as important as you family, friends, husband, wife, kids, pets, boss. Just do you! No two people in this world are "exactly" alike, so be comfortable in your uniqueness. Don't worry about what people think of you. Who are they to judge? Do you!

Last but not least, ignore people and don't feel bad about it. To minimize confusion, stress, and irritation, I ignore people, friends, family, etc on a regular basis. You have to do that sometimes. When I say ignore, I mean literally tune out their conversations. I've found out over time that when you listen to all of everyone's words, stories, and issues it will overload your brain and take away from your own sanity. So, just ignore people...unless you're a therapist. It actually works quite well, unless someone asks you something about a previous conversation. In those cases, just nod your head and change the subject. In short, DO YOU!

LIVE SMART, LOVE LIFE, AND ENJOY EVERY MOMENT THAT IS GIVEN TO YOU!

Living a Long Life: It's Still Possible!

I ran across an interesting article today that helped me to get an understanding of a question I have had for years. How do people live to be 100+ years old these days and where is their fountain of youth? On Sunday, April 20, 2008, a woman from Shelbyville, Indiana will turn 115 years old. WOW!

How did she do it? How do people make it to 100? The article by Rick Callahan entitled "At 115, Woman Defies Incredible Odds", Callahan offers findings from a study that was taken on the elite class of individuals who make it to the great age of 100.

The findings were quite simple. People who make it to 100 have the following 3 similarities that are considered the secrets to a long life:

1. Genetics
2. Environmental factors
3. Good management of stressful events

Scientists have found genetic mutations in the centenarians that may be a factor in slowing down the aging process or increasing resistance to age-related diseases and illnesses.

Many of these individuals have good health habits. The oldest woman, Edna Parker, lived on a farm most of her life and it is assumed that she lived a healthier life than many of us do. For starters, living on a farm automatically give you a better air quality. Living in urban, more populated areas can have an impact on your health over time. Many of my great grandparents lived well into their 90s, and they all lived in rural areas, "the country". So, there had to be something with their environments that helped with the longevity of their lives.

As for stress management, these individuals do not seem to dwell on stressful situations like many of us do. In a previous article I wrote, I mentioned that my older relatives dealt with so many adverse situations in the early 1900s, yet they were able to still live long, full lives. Well, now I better understand why. Stress management, as shown in Callahan's article, is the key. We all have stressful situations that we must tackle throughout life, but how we handle stress when those events occur is important.

Let's all live a long life. Cherish every moment of your life, and don't let the little or big things get to you. We all go through situations in life that may be challenging, but let those situations make you a better you. Don't let them get the best of you. Like the saying goes, "Live, Love, Laugh".

Making the Most Out of Life

Recently, I did an article on how to relax and pamper yourself. After publishing the article, I launched a survey question that asked "are you making the most out of life." Of the responses, no one replied yes and no one replied once a year. Instead, the responses were "sometimes" and "NO!".

This concerns me for several reasons. We spend so much time in life working, stressing, worrying, caring for others, and anything that does not involve caring about ourselves. This goes for all people. If you are wealthy, your wealth still comes with a level of stress. Instead of financial stress, you are thrown into the world of lost time where you spend more time securing your financial status and less time with your family and friends. If you are not wealthy and are just comfortable, you are trying to either stay comfortable or become wealthy...and that takes time away from family, friends and self also. If you are neither, then you are trying to make it, day-by-day, check-by-check, and that is stressful in itself.

What can you do to fix this? What can you do to make the most out of your life? For starters, think more about yourself and less about others. I'm not saying be selfish or mean or negligent. I just mean that you are as important as anyone else in this world, so why not treat yourself like that.

For many years, I wondered why people used to live longer (like my great-grandparents) but they had the stresses of the world that we have today like wars, disease, poverty, etc. Well, I figured it out. Through all of the stress and issues that came upon them, they still found that "self" time that is so important in life. They also found joy in their families (even if they got on their nerves sometimes). The key is to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy life. Don't let the everyday problems of this world and your life get to you. If you are down, force happiness onto yourself. Go to a quick movie. Go window shopping. Go to your church, temple, or place of religion, if applicable. Go to the beach. Go to sleep. RELAX. Just relax and enjoy the time you have here in this world.

With less stress comes a longer, more enjoyable life. So, let's get rid of that stress. I did find an interesting article on eHow.com entitled "How to De stress your life" that shed some light on how to alleviate some of the stress of life. Like myself, the writer believes that making time for loved ones is important. We are here for only a short period of time, so take advantage of every moment.

TODAY, I CHALLENGE YOU TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF LIFE. Start with 15-30 minutes a day of "me" time where you focus on yourself. Gradually increase that to 1 hour, and your life will begin to become more enjoyable and less burdened by stress. Try it. What can it hurt?