35.
When I began my thirties, I felt it would be very adult of me to draw from my experiences within that year and write down one major life lesson that encompassed it all. Well, since the release of my blog is on my birthday, I want to share these life lessons with you.
30. I learned nothing is a greater teacher of preparation than change. My life took such a shift it made me realize had I prepared myself for a rainy day, I would've had an umbrella, or even just a raincoat. Shoot I would've been happy with a hat and some rain boots. And I know you can't prepare for it all but damn it you can still try.
31. I learned about being myself. You can either accept me for who I am or get out the damn way. Being concerned with how others feel about you will eventually destroy you by eating away at your mind, your heart and your soul. I came to terms with the fact that even if I changed who I was and became someone else, people would hate that shit too.
32. I learned to say no to others in order to say yes to myself. It was a hard lesson for me to learn because I had to accept that my NO could ruin relationships, no matter how big or small. But I told myself what's the point of all that availability if I am damaged? How much can I be there for everyone if I am empty?
33. I learned to believe in myself, my talent and my beauty. I come from a family of tangible talent and it took me a long time to find my passion. And of course when I finally did, I was insecure as hell because it was so new to me. I went through a period of not taking makeup jobs because I was scared I wasn't good enough. I went through a period of not going out because I didn't think I was pretty enough. I started speaking life over myself and making sure if it didn't encourage me, it had no room in my brain. And when my words weren't enough I made sure to surround myself with people who believed in me and loved me. It takes a village to make this life work.
34. I learned that everything will be okay, I am going to be okay. We put so much pressure on ourselves to meet everyone's expectations. We stress ourselves to make sure we have a good job, savings, a relationship, kids, vacations, friends, and the list can go on. But I realized with or without those things, I will be okay. And the majority of those people that have all of those things, have nothing at all. So girl, you'll be fine. 
35. And now thirty-five. This year I learned that my healing is my priority. I've had many hurts in my life and some things I know will forever cause pain but I still need to make an attempt to heal. I will eventually share the story about my brother's death but it was something that I pushed myself to deal with this year because I realized the constant beatdown I kept doing to myself was causing so much stress I almost couldn't catch my breath.
so hello, 36...
I know 36 will be nothing short of victories, failures, drama, questions, confusion, happiness, excitement, milestones, adventures and so much more. And I know like always I will walk away from another year with lessons that will cultivate growth and challenge me to be better. Who knows, my biggest life lesson this year could be starting this blog. Lord knows forcing myself to share something every week no matter how personal will stretch me in ways that I've never done before. So enjoy this ride with me. Let's all keep track of our lessons.
#dear36 I'm ready