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24: The Unimportant Birthday

24: The Unimportant Birthday



Well, I turned 24 on December 10th. That’s 8,760 days spent here on our wonderful mother earth. I spent the weekend celebrating with a few of my best friends, some family members called, friends sent texts and snapchats, got a shout out on Instagram, and even some not-so-familiar names wrote on my Facebook wall—I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.

A couple people asked me, “Do you feel older?” My response was always no. But after letting that question linger for a few days, I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe I only said that because by society’s standard, 24 is an unimportant birthday. But for me that’s not the truth—I do feel older and I feel different.

Oh, and remember that Blink 182 song What’s My Age Again?, where they tell you that nobody likes you when you’re 23? Yeah, a few people used that line on me, too.

A lot happens in a year and it shouldn’t matter what age you’re turning—every year is going to be different. At 23, I graduated college and started my first full-time job. At 24, I left my first job and started at my second job ever and have a whole year as a young professional under my belt. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve learned—not only in my particular profession, but also as a young working woman.

But I’ll get down to the nitty gritty about how I really felt turning 24. Everyone goes through personal ups and downs; you win some and you feel like you lose some, but in the end, it all makes you stronger, right? That’s how I feel. I feel stronger. I feel like I know myself and who I am more than I ever have in my life (granted I don’t know everything, because we’re all always growing and changing based on our personal experiences).

I also feel smarter—intellectually and emotionally. I feel content with where I’m at in life and the people I’ve decided to surround myself with. I feel more motivated than I’ve ever felt, too. Motivated to be a better friend, a better daughter, a better sister, and even a better stranger. Personal growth wasn’t a conscious effort for me at 23, it just happened. But after realizing how much I DID grow, I can’t wait to make the conscious effort to better myself throughout year 24.

In conclusion, never let someone tell you that any particular birthday is unimportant or less significant than any other. It’s totally fine if their 24th birthday wasn’t influential to their life, but mine was. So, cheers to another year!

Happy Aging (Ha!),
Shelbie Renee

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