Happy at Thirty!

Wow, I’m 30! I always thought being thirty was wayyyy old. And mature. But I still feel (and look) like I’m in my early twenties. :p

I still got one more year to go before I’m finally out of the calendar. Oh.. but who cares? Right now I am just so thankful for the wonderful years that God has given me.

When I turned 20, I wrote a 5-year and 10-year plan on my diary. Well, a lot of my plans have already materialized, like being able to:

– complete my Masters degree in IT (at 24)
– get IT certifications (PhilNITS at 24 and Java at 29)
– help my parents in sending my brothers to college (at 25 and  28)
– work in a world-class IT company (at 28)
– serve at The Feast (at 28)
– start paying for my own property (at 29)
– cross off items on my bucket list like treating my family to an out-of-town vacation, going to Japan, and giving my parents an anniversary trip

However, I also envisioned myself getting married and having my own family at 26. It didn’t come true but it’s been a colorful and interesting journey. I have endured (and survived) 3 major heartbreaks. It was tough, but I learned a lot. And those experiences have shaped and made me the person that I am today.

My friends actually agreed with me when I told them that I noticed that I am more at peace, more secure, and more emotionally mature now. Before, I used to cry and succumb to sadness and negativity when I am faced with problems and challenges. Right now, I already know how to handle challenges and negative emotions. I now face the world with a positive disposition. I may have failed a lot in the past, but I know that they are only stepping stones to a better version of me. 🙂

I honestly think that 30 is better than 20 because when you’re at 30, most often than not, you already know yourself better, you are able to make wiser decisions because of your accumulated experiences, and you are already working on a job that you really love.

I was thinking about writing this post when I came across Bianca Gonzalez’s latest post on her blog. I super like what she’s written about why being 30 is more awesome than being 20.

Why being 30 is more awesome than being 20. 

 

Because you can say you’ve “been there, done that” to problems that you had no idea how you’d get through when you were 20.

 

Because you’ve embarrassed yourself and committed booboos enough times to know how to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously.

 

Because when they say you have to be “whole” before entering a relationship, you kinda know better what it means to be “whole”.

 

Because you need not be too safe with your words and you don’t really feel the need to please others all the time. Why? Because you are strong enough to stand by your word and you learn that you really cannot please everyone.

 

Because by 30, you’ve probably gone through a point in your life where you lost everything, and you know now that you are strong enough to pick yourself up again and rebuild your life.

 

Because by now you’ve sort of figured out the answer to that nagging quarter life crisis question: What is my place in the world?

 

Because you just know yourself better. 🙂

 

I’m not saying I have it all figured out because I don’t, but I can say I know how to go about things a bit more.

 

– Bianca Gonzalez

I look forward to more awesome years ahead and I trust that God has the best in store for me (and for you, too!).  😉