#age29

Lately I’ve been asking myself what it means to be age 29. Living in Namibia as my birthday approaches, my daily life is something I never expected. Where did I picture myself at this age when I was growing up? Since I hadn’t heard of Namibia before 2015, it surely wasn’t here. 

Often when someone conceptualizes a certain age, there are outward expectations and trappings that come along with it. For age 29 that might mean jobs, homes, cars, relationships - “accomplishments” that often come along with that age. Right now I have none of those. Which doesn’t bother me, because I choose to ask, “What does age 29 mean to me?” rather than “Where should I be at age 29?″.

I want to share my answer. 

What does it mean to be age 29?

Age 29 means confidence. It means grace - for yourself and for others. It means recognizing which buttons to push, and which not to push. It means inquisitiveness and aiming first to learn before teaching. 

It means moving from self-advocacy to others-advocacy. Realizing its time to narrow down the list of turns you can make, and focusing on only the best route towards the next step. 

It means embracing conflict, but wasting little time arguing. Orienting yourself towards the future, without getting lost in it. Living up to expectations, at least to set the the pace for the next round. 

It means partying with a sense of purpose. Exemplifying self-control during tough circumstances. It means being self-starting, creative, and innovative. Holding standards for yourself, not for others’ benefits. 

It means not comparing to what others did at this age, but rather asking, “What can I do better than last year?” and knowing you are solely responsible for the answer.

It means spending more time defining what you’re looking for, and why, than actually looking. It’s taking the life you lived in your 20′s and starting to connect all the dots. Its determining which things need practice and which need perfect; which things need time and which need money; which need attention and which need distance. 

It means more poise than power. The courageousness that comes from a bed of humility.