It's My Birthday! 27 Things I Know to be True...

Soooo hey! It’s my birthday! This morning I polled the people on the ‘gram and was lowkey rolling at the responses guessing my age…not sure if I should be flattered or horrified. Guesses ranged from 21 to 34. So. Either my skincare routine is magical or my greys are starting to show – you be the judge. 😉

Spoiler alert: today I’m 27!

And y’all, I don’t know what it is, but this one hit me differently.

This one feels older. Closer to 30 – in my “late twenties” – like I should have my sh*t together and not have just scarfed down a Taco Bell Quesalupa as my birthday lunch of choice. HA.

Up until this very second, I had no clue what I wanted to share in this post – I’ve done fun facts, life lessons, things I’m grateful for, goals, and year recaps. (For a trip down birthday memory lane, here’s 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, and 20…)

But today, I’m sharing some truths. 27 truths, to be exact (+ timely).

Not Capital T truths – just my truths. (We talk about Truths versus truths in this podcast episode – it’s a must listen, in my humble opinion). But maybe they’re real truths – you be the judge. 😉 Here are 27 things I know to be true…

The best investments in life: your skin, your faith, your coffee, your relationships. Convince me otherwise.
You absolutely have the power and potential to change your own life. You first have to decide that it’s worth it, and then have to believe that YOU’RE worth it.
The top five chick flicks of all time are: When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Legally Blonde, and Miss Congeniality. This is not up for debate.
Wearing lip liner correctly is worth it to prevent what is apparently known as “butthole mouth.” Don’t Google that.
Who you were then doesn’t define you now. Who you’re going to be is still TBD. And who you are today is entirely in your control.
Going to the gynecologist is better than going to the dentist. Actually, anything is better than going to the dentist.
There is absolutely no such thing as an overnight success, everything is an iceberg, and Instagram is a liar. Sometimes the grass is greener because it’s fake. Or photoshopped.
Everything is better when it’s got cream cheese or whipped cream on top.
A culture of cancelling destroys an environment of learning. I KID YOU NOT, that line came to me IN A DREAM and I woke up at, like, 4 am thinking the Holy Spirit just dropped me a blessed one-liner. Stay tuned for that one in a future book…
Baby registries are a lie. You don’t actually need a fancy Snoo or an expensive stroller to prepare for having a baby. Just start ten tasks and finish none, make five cups of coffee and don’t drink any of them, and shower for a maximum of thirty seconds. And do this, too. You’ve totally got this.
Put things back where they belong when you’re done with them. Otherwise, future you will want to smack past you for being a lazy bum, and you’ll probably be late for pilates because of it.
Eye contact is underrated.
There is no pride in burnout. You do not win an award for being the biggest hustler. But you will earn grey hairs, premature wrinkles, and increased risk of heart attack from the buckets of cortisol coursing through your veins.
Always travel with a pair of black leggings, spare underwear, a toothbrush, and a snack.
You can be the world’s juiciest peach and there’s still going to be someone who doesn’t like peaches. Don’t quote me on that because I didn’t say it first, but DAMN is it not the truest thing you’ve ever heard?
A lot of people suck at communicating, and a lot more people suck at negotiating. Don’t be those people.
Transparency and vulnerability are the keys to authenticity. Anything other than that isn’t actually authentic.
They only people who don’t get whipped cream on top are sadists. When they say “do you want whipped cream on top?“, you say yes.
I once heard someone say “you can’t steer a parked car” and just about peed my pants from the revelation. To move forward with anything in life, you have to be willing to hit the gas peddle and put it in motion.
Everyone you meet, you meet for a reason. Whether that reason is for momentary perspective, a mood uplift, the start of a lifelong friendship or love, the start of a relationship that will end badly to teach you a lesson or help you grow, to make you pause and prevent something bad from happening, to make you pause and think about something – it’s all with its reason. Respect that, and embrace that. (I said that at 22 – still true).
Feelings aren’t facts. Feeling fat doesn’t mean you’re actually fat, feeling ugly doesn’t mean you’re actually ugly, feeling dumb doesn’t mean you’re actually dumb. Stop assigning temporary feelings a parking spot in your brain.
In a world that makes us feel like it couldn’t care less, care more.
Thou shall definitely know thy credit score, pay off thy credit card, and not accrue unnecessary late fees from forgetting to schedule autopay of a minimum monthly payment. This is a commandment of aging in a financially responsible way. Let me learn that lesson the hard way for us all. #YoureWelcome
We don’t live to work – we work to live. It’s okay to put down the project or presentation or PowerPoint to catch up with a girlfriend or make a pie.
If you’re going to count calories, don’t. Instead, make the calories count. Eat the chocolate cupcake – just make sure it’s a damn good cupcake.
Don’t be afraid to kiss him first. Or ask him for his number, or Facebook friend (and message) him, or go out of your way to make it work. Sometimes you marry him. ????
Side parts are flattering on long faces, laughing emojis are just how I’m feeling, wine gets you from Sunday to Saturday, and skinny jeans make your butt look good. Take that, Gen Z.