I wish

When I was in my early teens, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by college-age girls.  But when I was in my twenties, I needed advice from a thirty-something.  Here are some thoughts that have been knocking around...

things I wish someone would have told me:

1) Your career will not take off right away.

This is a big one, and a bitter pill to swallow.  I had a thought in my 20s that if I worked SUPER hard to distinguish myself from everyone else, then I would land an amazing job right away.  That didn't happen.  Or maybe it did, but I didn't realize that I was right where I needed to be and there was nowhere else I was supposed to be going.

2) You do not have to hurry so much.

I did enjoy my 20s but I was in such a hurry to "get everything done" that I made myself miserable.  I wish someone would have told me to slow down sooner.  I wish I could have helped myself sleep better at night, with more patience and self-compassion.  I had a frantic state of mind because I thought I wouldn't live past 34 and I wanted to check off every item on my bucket list.

3) You will eventually turn 35 and things can be simpler.

In my 20s, like many other young people, I drank a lot of soda.  Now young people have "energy drinks" in more varieties than there are fresh fruits in a grocery store.  I complicated my life with a lot of worrying.  I thought there was something wrong with me, but I didn't know what it was.  I was so amped up but didn't know that I could have lived at a more reasonable pace with less drama.

4) You are the love of your life.

I thought about having a family in my 20s.  I have heard women do this: considering a family while planning their career path.  They end up making choices that will accommodate an imaginary husband and child before those things even enter their life.  I wish I would have been happier and less concerned that those things would come to fruition immediately.

5) Paying back student loans sucks.

I really didn't have a care for how much I was taking out in loans.  I wish I would have lived more simply earlier in life and saved more money.  We recently went to our first model home tour and had a heart-to-heart about what amount of cash we should have saved for a down-payment on a house.  I know, real estate in California is astronomically expensive, but I wish I had started saving earlier.

Season 8 starts March 7th

I know there are more ideas, but these are a few I will leave you with for today.  Like RuPaul says "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else, can I get an Amen?"