Nobody Likes You when You’re 23, and Other Lies

You may or may not know that I turned 23 on the 31st of January. To be honest it’s pretty unreal for me. When I was younger and saw “grown-ups” who were 23 years old, from where I stood it looked like they had their life together. Can you imagine!? A 23-year-old who knows exactly what’s what, has a solid life direction and is at peace with every part of their reality. If this person exists then please introduce me because I’d like to congratulate them. But otherwise, everyone else knows that being a “grown up” never actually feels real. I still feel like I’m 15! I don’t think that will ever change. But alas, here I am in my 23-year-old body, trying to navigate life as best I can, and having as much fun as possible while doing it. I celebrated in true grown up style at the cutest place called Annica’s Designer Patisserie, drooling over the plush, pink interior and shoving all the delicious cake into my mouth! All the while the famous Blink 182 lyrics “nobody likes you when you’re 23” ran through my head the whole week, and with it, some other things I don’t think are necessarily true for us “grown ups”… Though keeping in theme with this whole ‘growing up’ stuff, I’m sharing a few snippets from the beautiful afternoon we spent at Annica’s. Let me know what you think…

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People stop liking you when you turn 23!

As much of a hit as that song was – and actually still is – I think it’s pretty safe to say that it isn’t true. I just had to add this in here because, well, it’s pretty straight forward. Round of applause to all 23-year-olds who’ve made it through. 😉

You have to stop acting like a child.

I’m sorry but this one is definitely a lie! Since when was being carefree and open to new things considered a bad thing? Granted there is a whole bunch of stuff that comes with becoming a “grown up”, I know you can’t be carefree in the most literal sense of the word, but it’s absolutely okay to throw your hands up now and then, let loose and enjoy a little unplanned adventure. This is when the best memories are made! So don’t lose your inner child-like spirit, let that guy loose every once in a while. Eat the cake, jump in the sand, and dance like you don’t care who’s watching.

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You’ve got to have your life planned out…

Hmm, that’s a funny one. Remember how I mentioned when I was little I thought 23 was super adult-y and just assumed that every 23-year-old had life down to a T? How wrong I was! In my short, little lifetime, I have gone through so many different streets, turns, roundabouts, loops, obstacles, you name it. And I’m still not where I know I want to be ultimately. But the best thing is: every loop, obstacle, and change in direction has brought me happiness and experience. I honestly don’t even think most 50-year-olds have their lives planned out – we’re all just taking it as it comes. There’s nothing wrong with that! As long as you’re healthy, happy, and surrounded by love, I’d say you’re pretty sorted anyway.

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It’s pointless to dream big in a world that demands uniformity.

This is a big one; I even scared myself with it. Seriously though, dreams are what make life interesting and worth fighting for! When I think about all the dreams I have for my life, I get so excited, and that is a huge motivation for me. I don’t ever want to succumb to the idea that I shouldn’t dream big because I’ll never achieve them. That’s the scaredy-cat’s excuse! The world may seem like it wants everyone to be the same, do the same, achieve the same, but that’s pretty damn boring. You know the quote “if your dreams don’t scare you they’re not big enough”? Write that on a piece of paper or in a notebook and look at it everyday. It’s a great reminder to believe in what you aspire to achieve, and the more you remind yourself, the more you’ll believe in yourself.

Anxiety, stress and worrying are all weaknesses!

Mental health has definitely gained a lot of attention over the past couple of years, and it’s finally being taken seriously. Stress, worrying, and anxiety are sadly burdens that so many people carry, though they are certainly not weaknesses. It takes a lot of courage to open up about these kinds of struggles, so nurture anyone who does. And nurture yourself too. Whether you struggle with any of these or not, being an adult doesn’t automatically mean you don’t require some TLC and looking after every so often. Grown ups are humans too! It can be difficult to accept or even try to deal with anxiety or stress, but you know what? You got this! Because you’re a strong grown up and I believe in you!

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So to end off, some people may not like you when you’re 23 – but that just makes them sour. However, all jokes aside, being a grown up definitely requires a lot more work. But I can guarantee you that there are children out there looking up to you and thinking, “wow, I want to be like that when I’m big”. I know because that’s what I used to think. Don’t be fooled though, every “put together” grown up you see all enjoy some carefree, hands-up-in-the-air, dessert-overloading, crazy-dancing at least a few times in their lifetime (although for their sake I hope it’s more than only a few times!)

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What lies do you think us “adults” start to believe as we grow up? I’d love to know! P.s. Is this cafe not the most picturesque, grown-up place you’ve seen? It fits so well with my post and I hadn’t even planned that. Look how my life is just falling into place! 😉