“Thirty, flirty, and thriving”.
You probably know this popular phrase from the movie 13 Going on 30, where the main character wishes to be a teenager’s idea of an ideal 30-year-old: “Thirty, flirty, and thriving”. I must have been 9 or 10 when I watched that movie for the first time. However, for the next 2 decades of my life that movie played a significant role in my life. Just like the main character in that movie I wished I was already an adult at a young age. But lessons were learned with that movie and I understood the journey was more important than the destination. Even though my wish to be an adult was incredibly big, I pushed myself to take my time and enjoy the ride. And what a ride it has been!
Funny 10’s
So here I am knowing that I should enjoy the journey, but what did I do? By age 17 I did not follow a typical education for my age. I joined (trust me it was a long and heavy process to get there) part time and fast track adult education. Just in case you’re not familiar with that system, it’s an education that is tailored for adults and their very different schedules compared to youngsters. I wanted to do it that way because your girl had wild dreams she wanted to accomplish. Like starting my own company! Just for good measure, I also had just gotten my driver’s license the week before that was all happening.
All fun and games but this means I was already considered an adult by the age of 17. Well, technically I said I didn’t want to wake up one day and be 30 instead of my actual age. I said nothing about fast tracking my life. And that’s exactly what I did. From joining someone’s blog as a writer to creating my own blog. It opened doors to being invited to parties and doing interviews with authors. By age 19 that same blog landed me a job at a publishing house. However, that was not before I lived and worked in England and spent some time in Paris.
Roaring 20’s
My teen years might have been messy, but they at least prepared me a bit for the roaring twenties. In a time span of 4 years I worked at multiple publishing roles both in marketing and editorial. I lived on an estate in an old hotel room to after a few months make the attic of a museum my home. There was a fire in me to do everything and not be held back.
I wanted it all. Why wait for the perfect moment? Perfection is a boxed idea of keeping us scared and I refuse to be part of this ideology. I rather colour outside the lines.
In the second half of my twenties I had to say many times a forever goodbye to people around me. Including friends who never see the day themselves to turn 30. I was even very adamant about not writing this particular blog until the morning I turned 30 myself.
After all that life didn’t spare me, instead it kept on roaring. Life for sure had its fun moments like me joining volunteer work in the UK and growing my company to new heights. But I also made the life altering decision to change my last name. Once that was done my life opened up in ways I have never experienced. I temporarily moved to Vienna, Austria. My apartment right next to Schloss Schönbrunn was a childhood dream coming true. The days were filled with museums, opera and ballet.
Went on more trips of dreams like spending time with a close friend in London and going on a business trip to Leipzig. I also got VIP tickets to see my favourite group play. All this next to growing my company.
Going on 30
Now we are here, the morning of me being 30. I might celebrate my rebirthdays (the day my name changed) nowadays instead of my birthday, but I can’t help but think about the movie 13 Going on 30. I finally got the age I wished decades ago I already was, and even through all the hardships I am glad it was me who lived the last 20 years. Yes, I fast tracked a lot of my life, but I wouldn’t want to change that. It gave me the mentality of going after everything I could dream up. Most importantly, I lived that life!
Stepping into my 30 feels so incredibly good. The last few decades I did everything to gain the knowledge and shape my life in a certain way, all while following my dreams, that I know I have everything I need for this decade. Now it’s time to write down some new dreams and make those happen, cause I honestly run out of a lot of my dreams already, but I am sure I can dream up some new ones. In the meantime I will enjoy the journey.
Cheers to a new decade!
Love,
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