If you’re like me, you stopped eagerly anticipating milestone birthdays after turning 21. Every year after that brings one more reminder that you’re not getting any younger. In fact, once you start hitting the next big milestones (30, 40, 50 and beyond), you may find yourself facing anxiety and dread. As I hit these milestones though, I learned that life doesn’t stop when you reach them. Life just keeps going and getting better.
Don’t dread your decade, celebrate it.
Tim McGraw’s song My Next 30 Years was released on the radio when I was only 22. I remember, ignorantly, thinking how old 30 seemed, but I was intrigued at the fact he celebrated it. Looking back, he had it right.
The next 30 years will be the best years of my life…
When I turned 30, I absolutely dreaded leaving my 20s behind. I loved my 20s. During that decade, I graduated college, met my husband, got married, and had my first 2 kiddos. Life was so good! Turning 30 made me feel like I was leaving my youth behind.
I celebrated with a weekend trip to Vegas with some of my favorite girlfriends. It didn’t make me feel any younger, but I sure had a great time embracing the fact that I was now a “thirty-something.”
Celebrate your Decade: 30 is just the beginning.
It kick-started some of the best years of my life. During my 30s, I started appreciating fitness which in turn led to a new career for me as a fitness instructor.
This new-found passion also began my journey as a triathlete. I set and reached goals that I never would have imagined possible in my 20s. If I’d have told my 22-year-old self that I’d do an Ironman at 38, I would have said you’re crazy.
I had maturity in my 30s to work harder towards goals than the 22 year-old me had. I didn’t have grit in my 20s that I did in my 30s (of course, this isn’t true of all twenty-somethings, but that’s been my own experience).
My 30s also brought me two more sweet babies to complete our family. I spent this decade in the thick of raising my boys. This season made me realize how much I love this part of life, and now I can’t believe I actually dreaded it.
I rounded out my 30s feeling so satisfied.
Celebrate your decade: 40 is the new 30.
I didn’t dread 40. I celebrated it! After a postpartum health scare at 39, I realized just how precious life is. Every single birthday—and milestone—should be celebrated. We’re all on borrowed time, and I am grateful I was here to turn 40.
Since I had a new baby, we didn’t take any big trips to celebrate the big 4-0. I was perfectly satisfied with this. Instead, I ran 4.0 miles to celebrate the fact that my body was capable of doing so. The day was spent enjoying my husband and kids, and finished with a lovely dinner at a restaurant. Simple, but fantastic.
We shouldn’t dread these years, Moms!
Rather than dread your milestone birthday, celebrate your decade. Reflect on the last 10 years, and set goals for the next. Start thinking of a new hobby you want to try.
I’ve already set personal and professional goals for my next decade. Through the next 10 years, I’ll have 2 kids graduate high school and will be in the thick of raising my last 2 babies.
I also have a new business to focus on. I have my eyes set on completing many more triathlons, another Ironman, and qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Along the way, I know I’ll find new activities I enjoy, which is so exciting! That means I’ll have even more goals to set and reach.
Reaching my 30s and 40s helped me see the perspective that I really am living out Tim McGraw’s song. The next 30 years will indeed be the best of my life. I’m going to make the most out of each year and decade, and enjoy every season of life while raising my family.
