birthday reflections: what I've learned

dress | sandals | earrings | cuff | bela bracelet | bag

photos by Dede Raad Photography
 

Tomorrow I will wake up another year older at the ripe ole age of twenty-nine. I'm not dreading this birthday so much as wishing it wouldn't wouldn't mean I'm only one year away from turning thirty. Thirty scares me. Maybe it's because I was just twenty-five when Zach turned the big 3-0 and I thought my turn was an eternity away. And here we are- I blinked and I'm knocking on thirty's door. She's ready to answer, but I'm over here like "Please take your time letting me in, lady. I'm just gonna sit here on the twenty-nine stoop for as long as possible". 

Over the past year, I feel like I've grown quite a bit and have discovered a great deal about myself and the world around me. Some lessons have been learned the hard way (because I'm stubborn like that), but learned nonetheless. Aside from things I already should've known like you should always wear water shoes to a water park and O.J. Simpson is actually in prison (for robbery), here's a list of three things I've come to realize over the past 365 days.


You're going to be judged regardless, so you might as well do your thing.
Critisism can be difficult to take, especially for a people-pleaser like myself. No matter what you do, people are going to criticize, so you're better off doing what makes you happy. Trying to please others only results in frustration across the board. If you don't want to be criticized, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.

Less is more.
This applies to everything from accessorizing and outfit to having a stress-free existence at home. Clutter has been proven to lead to anxiety in every aspect of life. Don't get me wrong, my closet currently looks like a bomb went off inside and I still love to occasionally pile on the jewelry like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. However, I've learned to appreciate the beauty of a clean, clutter-free home and a simple piece of jewelry. This is one of the reasons why I love Bela Bracelets. Not only are the pieces classic and timeless, but they're also functional. I bet you didn't realize that the pretty gold and black bracelet I'm wearing above is actually holding my hair tie. That's right, these bracelets are designed to disguise those ugly black elastics that we all throw on our wrists every morning. Genius, huh?! Order some, I promise you'll love them!

There's no such thing as a "bad day".
I've had my fair share of days that I labeled as "bad", but as I get older I see more and more that happiness is a choice (I wrote in depth about it here). Looking back, I could easily consider the day I lost my best friend a very bad day. But I spent that entire day with Bear, and surely something good happened prior to receiving that Earth-shattering news. The day itself wasn't bad- February 1, 2014 was a gift. What happened was beyond devastating. But the day, the day wasn't bad. We mustn't get our gift of life confused with the troubles of every day, no matter how big or small they may be. Every breath and every moment is what we make of it.


Tomorrow I'm headed to the Cheesecake Factory with friends to stuff my face and laugh until my stomach hurts (probably from a combination of the two). Say prayers that Bear Burrito behaves and doesn't dig his paws into my cheesecake (this has in fact happened). Sending you all big hugs and well wishes for the weekend!
xo, Britt


*this is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own