I neither hope nor expect to receive anything for my birthday, so when it happens it always tends to blow me away. And this year, Night Eyes went above and beyond by getting a ton of you involved to create this amazing compilation of birthday wishes for me. I wanted to share it here to say thank you, but also because it's just filled with so much positivity in general that it may help brighten up someone else's day, too. <3 Thank you so much to everyone who took the time out of their days to record a video or write a message for this video (as well as everyone who left me birthday wishes across other social media).
Not gonna lie: while turning 25 isn't that old in the grand scheme of life, it's still a pretty big milestone, and I was really nervous about hitting it. Why? Namely, a big part of me was upset that I haven't accomplished a vast majority of my goals yet. There's still so much that I want to achieve in my life, so many projects that I want to tackle, and so many skills I want to acquire that hitting 25 before checking off all those dreams felt like failure. There are 16-year-olds winning Academy Awards, 21-year-olds selling record-breaking albums, 11-year-olds with millions of subscribers on YouTube whose eyeliner is WAY more on fleek than mine ever will be. Heck, there are SO many cosplayers out there who aren't even able to vote yet, and they're churning out flawless suits of armor and giant ballgowns at an age where, when I was that young, I was barely able to pleat a skirt.
The thing is, though: it's easy to get discouraged and feel like we aren't accomplishing anything if we're only comparing ourselves to the achievements of others. That discouragement is even easier to feel if we're giving ourselves "deadlines" based on arbitrary numbers. Yeah, 25 is a significant milestone. It means I've somehow survived on this planet for a quarter of a century. 25% of my expected lifespan is over. I have surpassed the "youth" stage and transcended into True Adulthood™️.
But you know what? Hitting this number doesn't mean I've "failed" at my goals just because I haven't accomplished all of them yet. I'm still working towards them every minute of every day. And I haven't failed just because other people are achieving their goals at a younger age. That's great for them! And I'm so excited for everyone who has the opportunity and talent to accomplish great things early in life! In the mean time: I'm going to keep working towards my own goals at my own pace. Yeah, I'm 25, and damn it if this won't be the year I sew my first ballgown!
Most importantly: a lot of the time, I get caught up in the present and future, always looking towards what I haven’t done yet, that I forget to reflect on all the things I have accomplished so far! This first quarter of a century was by no means void of achievement, and I have a decent amount to show for all my hard work. Like, dang, the fact that there are a few thousand people out there that may sit down and read this obnoxiously long post? That is insanely cool. It baffles me. It's humbling. (Seriously, what are y'all even doing here.)
This video that Beth put together helped to remind me why I do what I do. It reminded me that I'm not a failure for not accomplishing everything I want in life yet. (After all, I need something to pursue in the next three quarters, right?) And it reminded me of how important it is that we always acknowledge the goals we have checked off our bucket lists, to remind ourselves that we can accomplish anything we dream of doing, so long as we work hard and believe in ourselves, no matter what.
Thanks for all the love and support over the years, friends. Here's to many more adventures in the next 25! ( ∩ˇωˇ∩)♡
