Happy Birthday to me!

Today is the day that I am turning 26! And I must admit that although I hate getting older, I was already representing my new age before today. Apparently I was already adjusting and anticipating. And weirdly enough, I am totally fine with not being 25 anymore. I will explain why…

I used to think that every year after 25 would be a barrier, approaching the big 30 with true resistance. So it started in December: the thoughts of turning 26 including the fear of not being ready. I mean, 26. This is the wrong side of my twenties, right?! And being the ambitious girl that I am, every other birthday year means that I should at least over think the things that I have achieved in the past year, especially since there seem to be so many friends around me who are living their lives in total different ways. Some are getting married, others are having children. Some are starting a study, others are still living with their parents. This is the age on which I have friends whom are in their late teens and early twenties and friends whom have passed the thirty. Now, I don’t want myself to get screwed up by thoughts of how my life should be compared to the life of my friends. But man, it’s confusing!

Back to who I am today… The past few months I have been thinking about who I am, what I do and where I want to be a lot! Not only by thinking, but also by surrounding myself with people who inspire and stimulate me and doing stuff that helps me grow. I have also met a lot of new interesting people in the passed few months and somehow I think that people who don’t know you well can present you the best mirror of yourself, cause their vision of you is clear and not influenced by knowing where you come from. And I must say that I am surprised by how many people have told me to be impressed by what I have accomplished on my age. Getting this feedback week after week, I started to realize that my perfectionistic mind had focused too much on the things that were missing in stead of on the things that were actually here, in my favor.

I don’t want to brag, cause that’s not what this post or blog is for. But maybe one day I will read this again and then I want my older self to know that “Girrrrrl you did well!” I have studied both psychology and allround styling; I have worked as a psychologist, visual merchandiser and now run my own business; I have the most amazing friends and family whom I hope will never leave my side and I have dealt with some very difficult and painful things as well, but I’m still standing. Every positive and negative experience that I have had in my 26 year lifetime has brought me here, so I will cherish the moments and just keep on going, cause this path to 30 may not be so bad after all!

Again, a ver serious and personal post. What’s happening to me lately? Is it Lily, my dear friend, who inspired me to lay my heart on the table every now and then, or is it just me, getting older? hihi…

Let me know how you deal with getting older. Did you find your peace or are you still falling to pieces every year around?

Wearing: Missguided cut out dress* / Missguided heels* / Forever21 bracelet / Random rings
All items with * were gifted to me
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Photos by Lily (HashtagbyLily.com)
Location: Westcord Fashion Hotel, Amsterdam