26 years old. As of today I’m closer to 30 than I am to 20. I truly feel like it was just yesterday that I was celebrating turning 18 but here we are at 26.

Each year, around my birthday, I like to reflect on what I’ve learned in the past year, how I’ve changed or grown and what I want for the coming year. It’s kind of like New Year’s Day, but in June!

25 was such a good year. It was the year we bought our first home. It was the year my business took off in great ways. It was a year full of reaching goals and making new, even bigger ones. It was a year full of travel and belly laughs and personal growth.

If I’ve learned anything at all in the past few years it’s that celebrating another birthday and growing older is such a privilege that not everyone gets. I will always always always appreciate those developing laugh lines, crows feet + stray grey hairs. They mean I’m still here. They mean I still get to experience life with my favorite humans. And that is truly the greatest gift.

Here are a few other lessons I’ve learned in the past 25 years:

1. Have big dreams, but learn to be content with where you’re currently at.
2. House projects always cost more and take longer than you think they will.
3. Other people’s successes do not mean that you’re failing.
4. Just because people do things differently than you doesn’t make their way wrong. It just makes it… different.
5. You cannot (and will not) make everyone happy. And that’s 100% okay. 
6. It’s OK for your dreams to change as you grow
7. Not everything (and everyone) you lose is a loss. Sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise.
8. Eyeliner will always make me look like I’m attempting a Gothic look.
9. If what you’re irritated about won’t matter in a week, let it go.
10. You can learn something from everyone you meet.

11. Bangs don’t really work when you have curly hair.
12. Stop wearing make up all the time. Your skin will thank you.
13. Self-awareness is a rare quality.
14. Being honest about your grief is not a sign of weakness.
15. Don’t downplay your successes because it makes other people uncomfortable. 
16. Heels are the worst and are absolutely not worth the pain. 
17. Admitting that you need help (whether it be in therapy or just opening a pickle jar) doesn’t make you weak. 
18. It’s okay to get rid of toxic people. 
19. Your stress levels impact your health more than you realize. 

20. It’s OKAY to fail. You learn a lot by failing.
21. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.
22. Having a few deep + solid friendships is so much better than having a million shallow friendships.
23. You’ve got to put in the (hard) work if you want to achieve your dreams.
24. You can be kind and honest at the same .
25. You really don’t need a lot of “things” to be happy, if you’ve found genuine joy in your life.

Here’s to year 26. Another trip around the sun to love and learn and figure life out!