As I write this, I’m in the last hours of my 20s! In just a short time, I’ll be entering a new decade.

A lot of people I know were/are freaked out about turning 30, but I’m actually ready.

My twenties felt like a period of trial and error. Sure, there were lots of really good times. But there were also many occasions when I felt like I was bumbling through life, unsure of how I’d ever get to a place where I truly felt content.

In my early twenties, I was singly focused on my career. All I wanted to do was climb the ladder and amass bylines in as many publications as possible. I’m proud of what I accomplished then (hundreds of stories written between the time I was 21 and 25), but I pushed myself so hard that I was constantly stressed about work.

It took a while, but eventually, I realized that my job didn’t have to be my life. It was around this time, when I was 26, that I started taking ballet again (after a 5 year hiatus!) and it brought me incredible happiness. Even though I was super-rusty, I loved (and still love) working towards something that had nothing to do with my career. Having that helped me establish a better work-life balance. And, at 27, since I was a little older and wiser, I felt more confident making decisions at work—and really believed in my abilities.

At 28, I thought I had everything figured out.

But I didn’t.

A string of events in the first few months of my 29th year made me question everything—and that’s when I really took a good look at my life, thought about what I wanted to accomplish (I actually made a list), who I wanted to become and how I could make myself truly happy. Then I set out to do it.

That’s how 29 ended up being one of the hardest but best years of my life. In the past 12 months, I took a solo trip to Guatemala, learned Spanish,В performed onstage three times (I hadn’t since college!), ran a road race (first one in six years), В started a new job, restarted this blog (!) and tookВ many, many, many fun trips with loved ones.

All those things have made me happier, more optimistic and more confident than ever before. Sure, there are still many goals I’ve yet to achieve. But at least now I feel like I can, while enjoying the journey, too—something I was never able to do for most of my 20s.В And that’s what I always imagined my 30s to be like.

…I can’t wait to see what this decade will bring!

(Image via Pinterest)