Officially 30
I turned 30 this year. Since 5 years ago, I’ve been worried about turning 30. No matter how unwillingly you want to reach the big 3, the day will come eventually.
Brace yourself if you are under age 29.
People say that the 30th is a big year, and I truly believe it. The 30th marks the beginning of another decade and many more awesome memories to come.
What does 20s mean to me? I had reflection upon it on my last day of my 20s. It is a decade of basic understanding of life, realization of life purpose and goals, personal likes and dislikes. I gained valuable life experience through failures and denials, which made me much stronger and wiser.
Nevertheless, my 30th signals my achievement of several important milestones I’ve achieved over my 20s.
My first achievement is to realize the importance of relationship during this most confusing and decade. Over most part of my 20s, my priority has always been school and work. Until one day after 2012, I realized work was all I had. When the work was done, there was nothing left. In other words, I didn’t yet have meaningful relationships in life. Accomplishment from work can make people feel good about themselves and the satisfaction won’t last long. We are social species and we need relationships in our lives. My relationship-building journey had ups and downs. However I didn’t make me to reach for a stop sign. Some people got off the train that you are still on, and others are not meant to be in your life. Everything happens for a reason. Relationship building is like workout, and it can hurt sometimes. To get any long-lasting result, you need put in lots of effort, and keep going after failures.
I’m more of a private person who used to celebrate private events with small group of close friends. This year for my birthday celebration in Calgary, I invited a lot more friends to join, including the friends I’ve known for years and those who I just met.
Everything is possible is a mantra since my late 20s. The mind is powerful, and you are what you believe. My second achievement is transformation to a growth mindset, which helped me improve my speaking skills and made me finally sounds very close to natively born Canadians. In April 2015, I realized my speaking needed some work so I started listen to lots of podcasts. On the top of it, I also mimic how cantina born people speak. I didn’t see a big improvement after a year of hard practice. I was disappointed but somehow kept going. Another year had gone by, I felt the some about my speaking. In the mid of 2016, I became a member of toastmasters, and gave speeches on a weekly basis. I received supports from others, received awards and shed so many tears. However, my belief kept me going for another year. Finally, I experienced a big leap in my speaking in later this year. After August 2017, I sounded more colloquial and developed highs and lows in my tones. How did I find out the change? Through voice recordings and others’ comments. We tend to think others are flattering while giving us complements, but sometimes you need to believe they are telling the truth because you are doing great!
Most amazingly, a growth mindset helps to reverse sign of aging, which is not a joke but a big possibility. Our cell reproduce themselves on a continuous basis, and your body will always get ride of the old cells and improve on the new ones. You can get rid of impurities, shrink pores, lift sagging skin, and improve on texture and complexion of your skin. One thing you need to know is knowledge behind skincare so you can choose products mindfully. Remember, healthy eating and good sleep are the top importance in reversing aging. I did it, and you can too.
(Note: all photos are original without makeup and photoshop. Photo Timeline: top left - Sept 2016, bottom left - Sept 2016, top right - May 2017, bottom right - Sept 2017. How many years do you think I've wiped off my face since 2016?)
Push myself outside my comfort zone and stay curious is my third top achievement. I meant, really push myself beyond my comfort level. When I was in my late 20s, I realized there isn’t age limit for trying new things. I joined Toastmasters and tried a basic dancing course when I was 28, and explored theatre and had my first stage performance when I was 29. This summer, I went on a 3-day houseboating party with a group of community dancers, which I would never imagine myself doing in the past. I wasn’t a big fun of reading or technologies, and I started to follow news and learn about new technologies on YouTube videos. Meanwhile, trying new things made me stay curious: it inspired me to take a deeper look at food nutrition and healthy skincare through researching. Try things you never did and stay curious.
(Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare)
30 make us realize time keeps moving forward, things are going to change, and nothing last forever. It’s important to treasure each and every moment you have and make most of it.