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THIS IS MY OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY POST! I am turning 25 years old!

I’ve been reflecting on life a lot lately. I’m a pretty nostalgic person in general, but this year just feels different. 

There is going to be a MAJOR change happening in my life. I am getting married in just a few short months, my name is going to be changing and it feels like my whole identity is going to change. That kinda seems scary in some ways, but I am actually so excited to use this as an opportunity for a fresh start. 

I have always done my best to be my very best, but I am human, and I fall short. Quite a lot actually. I will never be perfect and I know that, and I am looking forward to having a new name and a new me.

There is this opportunity for me to leave the past parts of Sarah that I wasn’t proud of behind, and become one with the absolute greatest guy I have ever met. 

Wow. This year is wild! 25 years of life. I feel freaking old, but I also feel like my life is just getting started. 

My business is taking leaps and turns in directions I never imagined and I have been having so much fun navigating this new territory I am in and dreaming about where it could take me and my new husband!

I could be a mom pretty soon. Dang. 

I know so much of what I teach is about business and marketing but my purpose for educating you on these things is so much more than to just help you grow a business. It’s so that I can help you find your purpose. So that you can do the things you feel God pulling you to do. 

If I can fill your cup with encouragement and inspiration and bring you closer to the Kingdom, then by all means, that is what I am going to do. I want you to live in his light and his Glory with me. I want you to feel this love and peace that I feel since knowing him. 

I want you to know how special and unique you are and how much God loves you, and how much I love you. 

So today I want to offer you some wisdom that absolutely no one asked for but this is my platform and I can do whatever the heck I want. I am 25 years old and I just have a lot to say about life and the things I have learned, ok?

First, I want to go back to younger Sarah and speak some wisdom in her life. 

Dear 12 year old Sarah:

I wish I could tell you that in a few short years, you will never have to see those mean girls again. And that you don’t have to hide behind the baggy clothes she wears, that your insecurities about your body are probably never totally going to go away but it does get easier. 

I want you to know that bullies are just broken people, and they are hurting too, and that one day it will all come to light why they said those things to you. 

Friends will come and friends will go, and that’s okay. You are always kinda going to be a lone wolf, even as you get older and you are actually going to really enjoy your alone time. 

After middle school is over, you will actually have the time of your life in high school. You will feel confident, you’ll have a boyfriend, and you will really live a life that is straight out of some fairytale teenager movie. 

Dear 17 year old Sarah:

I know you feel super misunderstood a lot of the time, and what teenager doesn’t, but I just want to say that you would be so proud of your accomplishments – just wait, you’ll see. 

You always felt a little lost as high school came to a close, all your friends were moving away to college but you stuck around because in your heart college just never felt right for you. And I want you to know that it’s not a bad thing to want to go to college. You are actually going to save up a lot of money by just going to a community college for 2 years. And you are going to get a head start on your business that is literally going to manifest in ways you don’t even know are possible right now.

You should be nicer to your parents. They are just looking out for what they believe is best for you.. Even if you don’t agree, do it with grace. It’s weird to see it now, but one day you’ll realize they go through all the same struggles you do and you’ll eventually see them as human beings. With all the same pressures and challenges and decisions to be made. 

Maybe you will be happy to know though, that you are never going to grow out of your stubbornness which is going to help you succeed in a lot of ways, but it also can get you into trouble. Maybe try to chill that out a little bit. 

Dear 20 year old Sarah:

I know you think he’s the one…. But he is not. And your heart is going to shatter when you realize this. And you are going to feel like the world cannot move on without him. I’m not going to lie, things are going to suck for a while. You are going to feel pretty confused and lose yourself for a bit. 

But the good news is, God is going to catch you. And before you know it, things are going to get a heck of a lot better. You are going to have a lot of fun and slowly you are going to start to rebuild all those broken pieces and you will lean on the Lord more than you ever have before. 

You’ll go on more dates, you’ll meet more guys, you’ll get confident as all heck, and the Lord will fill your cup alone.

And in that season when you feel the very best about who you are and where you are, and when you stop trying to find the one, he’s going to find you instead. 

Dear 22 year old Sarah:

Your world is about to change forever. One evening you will be scrolling through your social media pages when a friend request appears and something about you instantly knows – this is different. 

You are going to do some things you probably would advise others not to do. Like fly across the country to take a job from a stranger on the Internet who you also happen to find extremely attractive. 

Yeah, not your best move but something in your gut told you that you needed to go even when everyone else told you not to. There’s that stubborn intuition again. God was really holding your hand through that and telling you to take a leap of faith and I am so freaking proud of you for being willing to trust him. 

The next few years are going to be a roller coaster of emotions, and a lot of life changes. Big moves, scary moves, and building a life with someone and really having to learn to lean on him instead of resisting so much. That’s going to be hard for you, but it’s going to help you grow so much. 

It’s not a bad thing to rely on a man. Especially one that is leading you even closer to the Lord and who humbles you, and isn’t afraid to tell you when you are not being your best self. 

You need a firecracker to call you out sometimes sis. And you are going to learn to not get so angry when he does it.

Dear 24 year old Sarah:

This has been a  big year for you. You got engaged, started new business ventures, and you are in one of the best places you have ever been with your health, happiness, relationships, finances and everything else. 

You are living a lifestyle that you didn’t think you could get until you were much older. You are doing the dang thing. I know it’s still hard sometimes and there will always be challenges that come unexpectedly but, enjoy this time. 

Dear 25 year old Sarah:

we have a big year ahead of us. I know you feel old, and it’s funny how you couldn’t wait to turn 17, then 18, then 20, and 21, and even 22 seemed fun. But then 23 came, and that was weird, 24 felt pretty weird too… and now… 25 hits and you finalize realize what it’s like to not want anymore birthdays haha

But I want to remind you that these days you are literally in the best position you have ever been in in your whole life. You are the most stable in every aspect. And you are the most happy. 

And let’s be honest you still act like you are 18 anyways 

The next 12 months you have big goals to crush, and big shoes to fill. You are going to be a wife! And I hope you always remember to put God first, your husband second, and everything else third. 

Work hard this year to set yourself up for the future, but don’t work so hard that it consumes your life. Make time to do the things you love and the reason why you became self employed in the first place. 

I cannot wait to see where 25 is going to take you. 

Dear anyone who is listening to this:

Now that you have heard the things I want to say to my old self, I have a few things I want to say to you too. No matter how old you are, this applies to you.

1. Take time to get to know yourself. You are going to have opinions circling you for the rest of your life and no one is ever fully going to agree with everything you do or say, so REALLY find out what you want, and stand up for yourself 

2. Put your blinders on. Tunnel vision is not always a bad thing. If you want something, pray about it, and then stop focusing on what everyone else around you is doing. The biggest reason why people do not achieve their goals is they play the comparison game, or they give up too early. Life is not about the quick wins. It’s about the journey and path that takes you to the final destination.

3. Show up in the present. Stop dwelling on things that happened in the past, and stop letting those hold you back. Forgive, and forget, and move on. And also don’t get so geared towards the future that you forget to enjoy the present.

4. Stop making assumptions and having so many expectations. You are going to be a much happier, more carefree person if you stop assuming things about everyone or expecting people to act a certain way and getting disappointed when they don’t.

5. Patience, it’s hard to have, but once you do, you are going to be filled with so much peace. I pray you are able to slow down, and live a life that is worth waiting for. Good things will come with time.

6. Fear is a liar. Fear hold you back. Making a decision to do something or not to do something because you are scared should never be how it is. If you are feeling called to do something, like move across the country, that’s scary for sure! And I bet you have so many doubts and thoughts about what could go wrong, but never let the “what ifs” be the reason you don’t go after your dream. What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen? You fail? And then guess what, you dust yourself off and try again.

7. Listen more than you speak. It’s hard to learn when you are always the one talking. Life isn’t about winning an argument or having the last word. Sometimes, we just need to slow down and choose to listen to what others have to say even when we do not agree.

8. Do the right thing, not the easy thing. 

9. You are the only person standing in your way. When you commit to something you have to be the one to push yourself forward, no one can do it for you.

10. You are so loved, you are forgiven, and you are made to do incredible things. Go out and crush it my friend.

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