I'm Getting Older...

I'm getting older. I embrace this fact because I know that with every day that passes I'm learning something that will prove to be invaluable to my life. I'm in my 30s now so I know better. I don't know everything, but I know better. I know that sometimes people don't act the way we want them to. Before I had a bit of Pollyanna idealism and I thought that every person is inherently good at the core, but now that I am older I know that a) that is not true and b) it is not my job to pull the good out of people. If I give a person an opportunity and they continuously show me that they are crappy, then that is my answer. There is no hidden, deeper solution, no message to be decoded.

I'm getting older so I know now how to filter opinions. For every person out there that wants to see me succeed, there is a person that will throw a wrench in my plans whether it be indirectly or directly. There will be advice received whether I like it or not and negativity spewed in my direction by people who are mostly just miserable in life. I understand now how to filter this. I used to take it all in and think that because someone said something about me that it was true or I second guessed decisions based on other people's beliefs of what they thought I should do. I still take it all in, but now I filter out what I don't need. I have trained myself to literally tune out the noise brought upon by those wishing to stir drama or spread negativity.

I'm getting older, so it seems like I should be marking accomplishments. What did I achieve this year that I didn't last year? What milestones of life have I fulfilled? The beauty of getting older is that you can set your own pace. People find that you are old enough to make your own decisions and/or mistakes so they don't badger you as much when you don't do things on their timelines. And if they do, I always just resort back to the filtering lesson.

There is a lot I learned while in my 20s and a lot more to learn now that I am in my 30s. It's good though to feel comfortable in my own skin and have the ability to recognize my setbacks and downfalls and address them head on. It feels good to not have to live up to anyone else's expectations and know that it is my opinion that matters, especially when it comes to living my own life.

I'm getting older and I am excited for what lies ahead.