Who Told Us Thirty Was Old?

Real Talk Vol. 55

When I was younger, thirty sounded…

old.

I thought people hit thirty and suddenly had life figured out.

The career.

The house.

The marriage.

The kids.

The money.

The confidence.

Then I got closer to thirty and realized…

We made all of that up.

Some people are getting married.

Some are getting divorced.

Some are changing careers.

Some are going back to school.

Some are buying houses.

Some are wondering if they’ll ever afford one.

Some have kids.

Some have dogs.

Some have both.

And somehow…

We’re all still adults.

I think that’s what surprised me the most.

There isn’t one correct version of thirty anymore.

There are just people doing their best with the life they have.

And honestly?

I love that.

Because the pressure to have every answer by a certain age is exhausting.

Life doesn’t work that way.

People change.

Dreams change.

Plans change.

You change.

The version of success you wanted at twenty-two might not even interest you at thirty.

That’s not failure.

That’s growth.

Also…

Can we admit that thirty-year-olds are nowhere near as old as we thought they were?

We’re still trying new things.

Still laughing.

Still making questionable purchases.

Still texting our friends asking, “What are we doing for dinner?”

We’re just doing it with a little more life experience.

So if thirty is making you nervous…

Don’t let the myths fool you.

Thirty isn’t the end of your youth.

It isn’t a deadline.

It isn’t the age where life suddenly stops.

If anything, it feels like the beginning of caring less about expectations…

and more about living a life that actually feels like yours.

–C