I entered my thrities on Saturday, January 30, 2021. I will admit, I thought that a major shift would take place, maybe a tingling sensation or a “ah-ha” moment of gaining this milestone year. And yet, nothing really occurred. I tried to go to bed before midnight, and after pretending to be asleep until about 12:20 am, I was awakened by a DM from a friend on Instagram. She was DJing and wanted to shout me out during her set, so I said what the heck and watched for a bit.

Without getting into too much detail about how I actually celebrated (and am still celebrating) my thirtieth year on this earth, I will say that I have been adulting long before legally being considered an adult. I guess that is why I feel no differently than I have for many years. The excitement wore off pretty quickly because the responsibilities are still looming. But it feels good to have another year to accomplish new things and, more importantly, LIVE.

One principal that I am trying to live by is not to take life too seriously. Sometimes we dwell on the worst-case scenario and eventually it becomes our reality. I am an advocate of visualization and the “you are as you think” approach. When we realize that we can actually choose to direct our thoughts to be more positive, we unlock powers previously unknown to us.

I am picturing myself as being at the end of a river waiting for the natural flow of life but occasionally shaking things up. There has to be a balance between passivity and aggression. I pick up on vibes very easily, but I am learning that vibes change and are certainly not a constant. And I am okay with that. Vibes can be fleeting, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. In any case, knowing what we want secures our sanity.

It’s a shame that so many of us are guarded. We have perfected the thickest barricades due to our past experiences. And for good reason. The trick is knowing when to let the guard down. I think that growth comes from being uncomfortable (take that with a grain of salt). When we let down our guards and open ourselves up to the possibility of getting hurt, to the likelihood that someone with a different opinion could challenge our own line of thinking, we GROW. We might get broken, we might hurt a bit, but we take something away from these experiences every time. The hope is that each time you open up, your mind does, too. Being ready for these experiences takes growth, healing, and introspection.

I say all this to say that I think I will be doing more of that this decade. Opening up and not letting fear get in the way of my growth. There is always room for improvement, and I am really enjoying being a first-hand witness to this process called life. The answer to our deepest questions is on the other side of doubt. All it takes is space and time.