As more and more of my friends approach, and then turn 30, I’m amused at the general emotional upheaval it seems to bring and my lack of such reactions at the time. I didn’t stress, I didn’t have an emotional wobbly because I’m suddenly “old” (30 is NOT old btw) and I certainly didn’t have the sudden realisation that my biological clock might be running out…nothing. In fact, my reaction was quite the opposite. I approached the day with a quiet excitement and contentment. Looking forward to entering a new adventure in life.
Why the lack of negative emotion associated with the age? I have no idea. Why do girls even have negative emotions at the thought of turning 30 anyway? Is it because they feel they haven’t achieved everything they set out for themselves when they mere children approaching adulthood and thought they knew what they wanted? Or could it maybe be that as an 18-year-old 30 sounded really old and somehow they’ve managed to lodge that thought in their heads when it comes to being 30? Or do they believe that when the clock strikes midnight and you hit 30 your face will suddenly be filled with wrinkles, your boobs will sag, you’ll lose the ability to attract men, you will no longer be able to have children and you will miraculously gain about 10kgs?
The truth is: I have no idea why girls tend to strike an emotional wobbly about the big three oh. In fact, I’m not even sure i know why turning 30 is a big deal at all. What I can tell you however is that somewhere, somehow, mysteriously being 30 changes you. The changes aren’t big but they are THERE and I’ve come to realise I love them. I’m not sure if it happens to everyone…but I’ve come to learn that in the last 7 months I’ve developed more confidence in who I am, how I look, what I want and my attitude of not settling for what I don’t want and not wanting to waste my time has escalated slightly. Not to the point of being a spoiled brat ( I KNOW you can’t always get what you want) but just enough that I refuse to waste my time with people who are bad for me. I’ve become more likely to step away from a situation and realise that the people in the situation are bad for my soul. And this is a good thing.
My two cents on turning 30? Embrace it! Grab it! Love who you are no matter what your age. And at the risk of sounding epically cheesy…age really is just a number. It’s about what’s going on in your head and your heart, not the year you were born in.
Love
Ruby
xxx
Rubyletters 
I must say I had some nerves turning 30, but on my actual birthday I woke up feeling on top of the world. It’s a new decade, clean slate and I feel fantastic. My 20’s were cool, but I’m glad to see the back of them and I’m super excited for the Dirty Thirties!!
Much love, Bailey from Vanilla Blonde
Glad to hear your version of the nerves only lasted until your birthday and that the actual day and the ones beyond it were filled with happy and awesomeness:)
Must admit, before I turned 30, a lot of people said I would feel completely different and that lots would change. I felt absolutely no difference.
However, about 6 months later I felt a great deal of change in myself, from emotional stuff to my dreams to my desires. The problem is, I quit my job and started my company, something I had wanted to do for a decade, so I’m boiling my change down to that and not a silly number – but you never know 😉
I agree though.. EMBRACE!
Haha…must admit, i’m not sure if my changes are due to age either, but it seemed like the logical thing to blame. Who knows:)
I felt the same when I turned 30. A little more comfortable in my own skin, a little more sure of myself, a little less likely to do something just to be the people-pleaser.
This decade can stick around for a while. I can’t imagine going back to the naivety of my early 20s.
Slightly relieved to hear I’m not alone in this:) Being 30 way outsmarts being 20:)