Today’s My 27th Birthday! Here’s what I Learned in 27 Years

Today is my 27^th birthday, and I am realizing that I only have three years left of my twenties. A part of me is having those mid-twenties crisis, where I realize that I am not young, and time truly flies by.

That said, I wanted to take the time to reflect on some of the things that I have learned over the last 27 years of my life. I know that I am still relatively young, but I feel like I have learned so much, especially over the last few years of my life. I still have a lot to learn, but this is still something that I want to share.

It’s Important to Feel Respected in Relationship: 

This is something that I want to begin with, since this is something that I learned this earlier in my twenties. In my early 20s, I dated someone who was very one-sided and always had to do things their way. I was always the one that had to give, without give back. Looking back, I was blinded by this person. However, that made me realize that I wanted to share my life with a person who respected me and my choices and boundaries. I think back then I was more focused on being able to say that I was in a relationship versus the quality of said relationship, which is something that I think is more important.

The Importance of Saving Money Versus Instant Gratification: 

I never really learned about money and how to save it. However, this year, I really began to dig deep into personal finance. I began listening to the Dave Ramsey show, and working towards selling items that I am no longer using. Currently, I am working on paying off debt, and building savings. One of the things that I also want to focus on is the fact that saving is no fun. We live in an instant gratification society. However, as I want to prepare for some of the bigger purchases in life – i.e. a wedding if my boyfriend and I choose to do so, a down-payment on a newer house, I want to increase my savings so I can have the funds to back me up. So that means buckling down on saving it, contributing to retirement, and just learning to have a better money balance. 

Balance Is Everything: 

This past year has really taught me the importance of a healthy work life balance. I recently fell into this pattern of doing nothing but work, dog care, and going home. Sure, my boyfriend and I go out on weekends. However, I realized that there is no balance in any of that. No one should be doing nothing but just work. It’s unhealthy. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you make the Happy Hour or plans on Saturday.

You Don’t Need to Feel Guilty About Being Happy: 

This is something that I am learning and doing my best to remind myself. I have a habit of feeling guilty about feeling happy or doing something for myself. This can be as simple as sleeping in later on a day off, or having a good time on a Sunday afternoon in the pool. Something that I am working on lately is trying to remind myself that it’s okay to have fun and I don’t need to feel guilty about it.