8 Life Lessons I Learnt From Being 28

I’m feeling some what reflective this morning. I only have a couple of days left of being 28 – before I enter the last year of my twenties.

As we get older we tend to change our behaviours, feelings and thoughts about life in general. When you’ve been through life changing events it can be hard to navigate where to go from here.

I can’t say the age of 27 was a good year for me, because it wasn’t. But, I learnt a hell of a lot about my myself and changed for the better. To become the person I am today.

I suppose when you go through something like I did. Where you’ve been in hospital recovering for weeks, contemplating every single thing about your life, you do appreciate what you have right in front of you.

If something isn’t right, whether that’s your job, your relationship or your university choice. Then get out while you can. Happiness and your wellbeing  are far more important, and there are always better things on the horizon.

Let shit go.

It’s easy to get worked up by anything that annoys you, but 9 times out of 10 it doesn’t matter. You have to learn to let shit go for peace of mind. The worst thing you can do, is get yourself into a bubble of overthinking haterd.

Work smart, not hard.

I used to be a workaholic and an overachiever. But for what? Why did I want to work myself to the ground? I wasn’t climbing the ladder, I never wanted a managerial position, I love designing and I’m content with that level. Although being a senior designer would be a goal – if it happens, it happens. But I’m not putting pressure on myself to achieve it in the next year or so.

What I’ve learnt is to work a lot smarter and quicker, don’t waste time on something that could change. And always work 9-5, manage your time well during that time. Take your lunch break too – you deserve that break from the office and it’s good to step away from your workload to re-access after lunch.

Don’t stress over the small stuff.

Oh boy, believe it or not everything used to stress me out. Well maybe because I was under a lot of pressure in my last job, but that’s because I was literally doing 3 different jobs and more. On top of the targets being completely unachievable.

I’ve learnt to not stress and just do what you can in those hours. Seriously don’t stress over the small stuff, you can pick up where you’ve left off in the morning.

Owning a house.

Joe and I finally bought a house this year and I actually wasn’t stressed one bit during the process. Well, maybe because Joe was super organised and on top of everything. It’s nice to know that our money is actually being invested and it’s ours. It’s a good feeling and something we always wanted.

Appreciate what you have.

Sometimes you don’t realise how good you’ve got it.

I’m really fortunate and appreciative of everything I have, our home, our careers, our relationship, relationships with friends and family. At this moment in time I’m really happy, like really really happy. I feel like my life has somewhat come together in my late twenties and I don’t want it to ever end (I’m on cloud 9, dreaming away).

Travel often, when you can.

We’d all like to do a travelling gap year but sometimes it’s not feasible. I travel when I can, 2-3 holidays a year, sometimes more when I really need it.

It’s great to experience other cultures, have a break and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones.

Stay humble.

Always stay humble no matter what the situation. The worst thing to do is get yourself worked up and hold anger. Take things on the chin and be humble.

If someone is mean to you, they might be going through something personal and unfortunately you’re the target that day. Don’t take it personally, we all have our shit to deal with and some just deal with it differently.

Health overrides everything.

I’ve had problems with my health for years, but last year things got real serious. I needed to take my health seriously and I did. I feel ten times better for doing so. I’ve briefly touched upon my endometriosis battles  over the years too.

My job and my managers have been supportive too which helps massively. Going for doctors or hospital appointments isn’t an issue at all which is refreshing to say the least!

There’s nothing worse than working for a company who literally couldn’t care less if you fell dead tomorrow. Believe me, I’ve been in those shoes. So, it’s a liberating and refreshing feeling being supported in the workplace.

What lessons have you learnt in your twenties? Let me know in the comments below!