The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
I’ll start with a confession: I am sort of obsessed with time and aging. The fleeting nature of time freaks me out; that between now and when I finish this sentence, more time would have passed. I am hardly a control freak but the complete un-influence-ability of time infuriates me.
Why can’t we stop time?!!?
But there is something you gain with time lost, perspective. It’s hard for us mere mortals to always take a step back and understand the bigger picture of how we are growing and evolving while in the midst of it. Recently, I spent some time thinking about how my 30s have been different from my 20s. While I certainly didn’t enter my 30s with a flourish ( I entered kicking and screaming actually), I have to admit it has treated me well. And more importantly, it’s given me perspective on my 20-something experiences and how they have shaped me.
So here we are; 8 reasons why I think my 30s are better than my 20s.
1. I got off the “experience” treadmill
In my 20s I wanted to do like everything, right away. I knew someone who “retired early” at 25 and envied them. Say that to my 65-year old father who doesn’t want to think about retiring. Instant gratification is the name of the 20-something year old game. Experiencing FOMO was only placated by creating FOMO in others. I got others to believe my life was an intentional whirlwind instead of an unintentional spiral. I tried everything I could to never pause, because when I did, even for a second, I realized I was hollow. Invariably, I got back on the treadmill so I didn’t have to deal with that eventuality.
When in my 30s, I asked myself to cut the crap and sit with that sinking feeling that emerged during those quiet moments, I realized it wasn’t anything I couldn’t deal with head on. The feeling of hopelessness that emerged had been covered in layers of escapism and hedonism in my 20s, but in my 30s I felt I could look it right in the eye and ask it what the heck it’s problem was. And it worked. I am no longer afraid to stand still.