BEING 23...
When I watched the film 'The Number 23' starring Jim Carrey (Yes Man; Bruce Almighty; Ace Ventura: Pet Detective), Virginia Madsen (Crazy Stupid Love; Red Riding Hood; Firewall) and Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower; Percy Jackson & the Lightening Thief; Hoot) way back in 2007, I was momentarily scared about turning 23. Not just because of the number 23 but because my birthday, 13th of October (13 +10 = 23) , was used as yet another example of how significant this number is. So yeah, I was a little spooked about turning 23 on that date. But when my actual 23rd birthday rolled round last year that film was the furthest thing from my mind. My 23rd year on this planet was an awesome but slightly scary year!
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Being 23 was as much fun as it was hard. It saw me being truly independent - "all the women who're independent throw your hands up at meee" - and learning to accept said independence. I was a recent graduate living in her first 'Big Girl' flat and paying her own bills due to having been blessed with a job. For the first time I was able to fund my love for baking, interior design, my blog and a bunch of other interests. But I also had to learn to budget and always be two steps ahead of utility companies - I'm looking at you pesky quarterly bills that threaten to make a dent in my account - and any unforeseeable circumstance that may also gobble up my pennies. I had to learn to quickly understand the nuisance that is office politics and have more confidence in my abilities. And coming to terms with no longer having the luxury of waving around my student card - which sadly expired last October - to get those lovely discounts every chance I get was hard. I guess that is one reason why having younger siblings is a great thing. This year really showed me how to see the beauty in making sacrifices for those you love. Boy, oh boy, oh boy are parents great. I cannot even fathom what things they must have put on hold to ensure their kids are happy but I take my virtual hat off to you.
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Being 23 was great. For me, it was a year of growth. I began to truly accept and love who I am; zero in on and work on my strengths and weaknesses; take my dreams seriously; and continued to work on my relationship with God. I am a homebody. Fact. Clubbing until the wee hours of the morning is not my idea of an amazing social activity. Catching up with family & friends - preferably in my PJs -, making & eating good food, watching a film/entire DVD boxset of a great TV show/a play, reading a book and going for a nice walk are more my thing. And I have come to accept that this is ok. We are all different. And the sooner we realise who we are is flippin' great, the less time we'll waste perfecting the role of someone else. For a long time I had a rubbish view of how I looked in the mirror which did no good for my self-confidence. But this past year I have not only grown to love my reflection - in a non-narcissistic sort of way of course - but I have also started taking better care of my body by attempting to eat right and injecting a healthy dose of cardio and strength training into my daily routine. This then had a knock-on effect of leading to an increase in my self-confidence and knowledge of self-worth which was a long time coming. And as for my relationship with God? I feel we are getting there. Don't get me wrong, it has not been all sunshine and custard creams but my resilience during the hard times is definitely getting stronger as my faith in Him and who I am grows.
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Being 23 saw me stepping out of that lovely, safe and wonderful bubble that university provides which really did a number on my perception of life. I realised that although getting a job that is directly related to what you studied is great, there are so many other career choices out there and your career path may not be as straight-forward as you thought it would be. It was also the year I actually accepted the fact that shizz happens. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's bad. But it does in fact happen. And that plan you had of how your life will be, whilst good to have, will learn to become slightly more flexible as you, your views and dreams evolve over time. Opportunities you once thought were out of your reach no longer are. And it is ok if you do not have everything in place by whatever age you thought you'd get all done by. Just enjoy the moment you are in now. Ride the waves as you figure out your life's course. Don't jump overboard. If things are really spiraling out of control: Stop, take a deep breath, remember all that you have achieved up to now and the other times you thought the end was nigh but ended up surviving all them. This too will be another victory for you and is only helping to shape you into a stronger, more patient and appreciative individual. Plus, you can always lean on you family and friends for support. And though that big circle of friends you once had steadily becomes a bit smaller, you are left with the honest bunch that will stand by you through whatever and slap some sense into when needed. Although you may not speak to or see your bestest peeps regularly, when you do get the chance to catch up it will magically be like no time has passed at all.
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Being 23 taught me quite a lot but I am going to share some of the main lessons I learnt below and I challenge you to attempt to incorporate them in your life. These photos were taken on my last day of being a 23 yr old welcoming the year of Being 24 with a smile and a snazzy new look. Have no fear, a post on the new 'do is in the works.
[*] Love and respect who you are
[*] Be one with MS Excel and take note of your expenses - you'll be surprised to see where your money goes
[*] We all go through life in our own unique way so stop comparing yourself to others
[*] Organisation is a beautiful thing
[*] Allow the dreamer in you to take the wheel more often
[*] Whilst direct debits are useful, still keeping track of all the dates your bills are due is really handy
[*] Cherish the times spent with your family & friends and make an effort to see them often
[*] Be honest with yourself
[*] Give, give, give - be it your time, a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, a helping hand etc
[*] If you are single, enjoy this version of freedom
[*] Don't be so hard on yourself
[*] Give your dreams room to grow
[*] Don't be afraid to ask for help
If you have any life lesson you've learnt lately and want to share, please leave a comment below. I'd love to pick your brain. I hope you are all having a lovely day and are thoroughly enjoying this beautiful month of October.
Mo x
P.S. Not sure if you noticed something different to my URL but it's now got a .co.uk area/post/web code! Onwards and upwards folks :D
P.P.S. All photos of me were taken by Suji So. of Hostile Fvshion.