What My 20's Have Taught Me

Hello everyone! Well I’m officially 30! What they say is true, the days seem to go slow but the years fly by. It seems just like yesterday I was graduating from school and starting work full time. Nevertheless, I have officially hit this milestone and I have been reflecting a lot lately on some lessons that my 20s have taught me. I haven’t put these in any particular order other than what came to mind first. 

1. Always work hard. This one not so simple idea will take you a long way in your career. However, don’t use being overworked and exhausted as an excuse to treat your loved ones poorly. Try to find the balance if there is such a thing. 

2. Life is not fair. We all have obstacles to overcome in life. Some come earlier and some come later. The trials in life will teach you how to appreciate what we have. 

3. Don’t place too much emphasis on “what you wanna be when you grow up”. This really tripped me up in my early 20s. Follow a path that drives you, but be open for other opportunities to come. It would be interesting to do a survey looking at how many people are in the same career they thought they would be in right after school. 

4. Be open minded to changing your opinion on something. What you believe one year in your early 20s might change in your late 20s. I can believe how much you can grow and change in such a short amount of time. 

5. Women belong on the farm. You don’t have to be “one of the guys” to fit in and add value. The female perspective is really important especially when working with animals and people on the farm. Also when both people in a marriage work together you both have the same steak in the game and understand the importance of the farms success. 

6. Nobody is going to care about something more than you do, so if you don’t get the response you were expecting don’t take it personally. 

7. Don’t compare anyone else’s timeline to your own. As long as you are happy with where you are and what you are doing that is all that matters. 

8. Considerate and effective communication is the hardest part of relationships. Making assumptions about anything will cause problems. I have found it is way better to over communicate. A big part of my 20s is figuring out how to have healthy conflict conversations and move on even if you don’t agree. 

9. Building a community wherever you find yourself living. This is really harder said than done because if you are trying to hustle with work, the community part takes extra effort. This could be family, church, colleagues, or people similar to you in your career. Having people who understand what is going on in your life is priceless. Even if they are hours away, take the time to build that community.

I'm so grateful to have gotten to experience my 20s. There have been some really high highs and some low lows, but that is all part of growing up. I’m proud of what I have accomplished so far and will continue to grow. For my 30s I’m excited to focus on family and friends, supporting our businesses, and finding the balance that is more sustainable. I can’t wait to see what they have in store!

-Tabby