5 Great Things About Being In Your 30's

It's my birthday! Today. October 16. I'm 31. I have to say that last year it was a bit rough to leave those elusive 20's behind and join the big girls club, but it's been jaw dropping what a difference joining this decade makes! If you're coming up on your dirty 30's, or simply dislike getting older, fear not! I've got 5 great things about being in your 30's for your Friday reading pleasure.

1) Friendships change for the better. Yes, some people will leave your life. Let them. After you get to be a certain age, those people don't matter. They weren't meant to be in your life anyway. And the friends that do stick around? Your friendship with them will be THAT much better!

2) Your "Give a F" garden stops growing. I can honestly say that I give zero you-know-whats about what people think of me. Zero. You like me? Let's hang out! You don't? Don't let the door hit you on the way out! When I was in my 20's I felt the constant need for approval from others. I sought it out and was let down if I didn't get it. Now that I'm older, I've found approval and acceptance within my self. It is SO freeing! And I have so much more mental space to be who I truly am.

3) You learn that you get the most by giving. When I was in my 20's, if you didn't like what I was doing or what was on my agenda, I had no qualms about peacing out on you. Which was fun, because I did exactly what I wanted to do (hello, moving across the country 3 times in 5 years!) and was a selfish mess, which is what you should be in your 20's. But as you get older, you realize that's not the most fulfilling way to live. You advance to a place where you find JOY in giving to others, which is a double-whammy of awesome: you make them happy and you're happy too!

While I'm talking mostly about giving time, patience and grace to your loved ones, presents never hurt, right?! In the spirit of giving AND my birthday, you definitely need to check out this amazing Tarte palette and Sephora giveaway I have running on Instagram through Sunday! #shamelessplug

It's my birthday week! To celebrate, I'm giving YOU the chance to win the holiday Tarte palette and a $50 gift card to #sephora! I've partnered with 9 other bloggers for this just-in-time for the holiday season birthday giveaway, so the loop is short and entering is easy! To enter, simply: 1. Follow me and like this photo 2. Tag someone who loves Sephora ❤️ 3. Go to @coffee_mascara profile, follow her and like her photo. Continue until the loop is complete and you are back here! Easy peasy. The giveaway closes on October 18th at 9 PM PST. *This is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's term of use. Good luck my pretties! Happy birthday to me, and by that I mean YOU! 💄🎉🎁

A photo posted by Paige AnUncomplicatedLifeBlog (@anuncomplicatedlifeblog) on Oct 13, 2015 at 10:00am PDT

4) You develop your own sense of style. I read WAY to many fashion magazines when I was in my 20's, which resulted in my always trying to "be" someone else - someone far more trendy than I care to be! (Also, see number 2 about needing others' approval and no longer giving F's...) Now that I'm in my 30's, I've developed my own sense of style that's all about classic clean lines and quality pieces. I know what looks good on me AND what I'm comfortable in, and that shows in my confidence as I wear my personal style out and about.

"Falling in love" this fall is easy in this maternity date look from @apeainthepodmaternity. Tap the photo for outfit details! #29weeks #maternitystyle

A photo posted by Paige AnUncomplicatedLifeBlog (@anuncomplicatedlifeblog) on Oct 13, 2015 at 4:49am PDT

5) You know yourself better. I've spent over three decades hanging out with me. By now, I know what I like and what I don't. And I'm totally, completely ok with NOT doing the things I don't like, even if all my friends are doing it. For example, Indian food makes my stomach turn. So if there was a girls night at an Indian joint, I'd have no problem saying, "Catch ya next time girls!" When you're older, there is no such thing as FOMO ("fear of missing out" for those who don't speak millennial talk - I know my husband just read that and though "WTF?" so that definition is for his Gen X self. Love you honey!) In fact, that's the first time I've ever used that dumb word, and it will be my last. Man, am I glad I'm too old for that nonsense!

Linking up with Amanda, Karli, April and H54F to share in the Friday Favorites goodness!

See, not everything about getting older is a bad thing. Some things are actually quite fun, and others are completely freeing of the judgement and need to fit in that you felt in your teens and 20's. The best part is, these are only 5 great things about being in your 30's - there are many, many more!