Katelyn Brooke

Wishlist for 24

personal

Today I am 24 years old.  To be honest, I thought I would feel older by now.  Like a grown up.  I’m married, I pay bills, and I have work, but I still feel like I’m impersonating an adult sometimes.  Does anyone else feel like that?

When I think about 23, I don’t think that I’ll remember it as the best year ever.  There were some great things about it, but there was also a lot of stress and growing that happened.  It was a good year, but it was kind of a hard one.

I have some ideas about how I’d like 24 to go.  Not goals exactly, but some things I’d like to accomplish or improve on.  For me.

Rediscover my confidence.  For as long as I can remember, being confident was an innate part of who I was.  Over the last five years or so that’s become less and less true.  I’m done with that.

Own my accomplishments.  I am completely uncomfortable acknowledging my strengths in verbal conversation.  That might sound like something cheesy you’d say in an interview, but it’s actually a really bad quality.  Is this the path that I envisioned for myself?  No.  Do I have doubts?  Of course.  That doesn’t make what I’ve achieved and what I do any less cool.  I need to learn to be my own biggest advocate.

Be more in touch with my friends, but stop worrying about friendships.  I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep in touch but don’t do much about it.  But experience will tell you that everything will be okay, and the real deal with always be there.

Fall back in love with exercise.  For how it will make me feel, not how it will make me look.

Spend more time alone and unplugged.  This has always been where I thrive.  This is where the magic happens.

Revel in this season of my life.  It is fleeting.  I might not have enough money to fill my wardrobe with expensive clothes, and my apartment might not be worthy of publication.  But that’s okay- it’s just part of this season of my life.  The next season will likely not allow for leisurely lunch breaks with Brian in front of the TV or going out with your friends on a Wednesday.  Treasure those freedoms.

Explore more.  Plan less.  Just because you weren’t planning on driving somewhere today, doesn’t mean you can’t hop in the car and go somewhere new.

I’m probably going to be taking it easy on the work/blogging/social media today in an effort to get a head start on this list.  Don’t forget that today is the last day to enter the giveaway!

Comments

  1. Happy Birthday Katelyn! Those are fantastic resolutions and to tell you the truth I have very similar ones. I know you can reach them all and I hope 24 is the best year yet!

    Reply

    • Thanks Susan! They’re probably things I’ll have to work on over a few years, but I figured writing them down has gotta be a good place to start, right? :)

      Reply

  2. Happy, happy Birthday to you, dear Kate! I wish I could have been where you are at 24 (and I know there aren’t many years separating us, but still) You’r thoughts are very mature. I can’t wait to see how this year will be for you!

    Reply

  4. Happy Birthday Kate! I hope you get spoiled.

    I totally feel like I’m pretending sometimes. I have a corporate job, but I did Psych. I’m a supervisor of 2 people but I don’t like my work environment. I’m always stressed about money. Thank you, student loans. I’m mastering the ‘fake it ’til you make it’ attitude. Haha.

    # 5 & 6 are ones I strive for everyday but they’re a never-ending challenge, that’s for sure. Trying to be mindful, present and live a balanced lifestyle is worth all the planning, I think. Anyway, ramble over. Hope you have a great day!

    Reply

  5. Happy Birthday Katelyn! I hope you have a fabulous day! I still don’t feel like an adult and I’m turning 30 next year. I wait for that magic moment when I’ll feel grown up…not sure it’s ever going to happen…and maybe that’s a good thing!

    Enjoy!!!!

    Reply

  7. Happy Birthday Katelyn!

    I am 53 and sometimes I wonder when they are going to show up and tell everyone this guy is an impostor. I think life does have a way of beating the confidence out of you. I also think you come to realize after you have gone through the bad and ugly and came out the other side that confidence is not what it is all made out to be. What is important is your willingness to put one foot in front of the other and keep working on the important stuff.

    Reply

    • Thanks Mark! I guess I’d settle for less self-doubt and anxiety surrounding how I present myself to others :)

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    • Thanks Caroline! By the way- just clicked over to your blog and I’m loving that outfit that you posted yesterday!

      Reply

  12. Happy birthday love! These are great goals. I especially like the one about being your own biggest advocate. It’s so true and definitely something that I need to work on as well!

    Reply

    • Thanks Whitney! I feel like I’ve gotten worse about it- I always felt like your work/ what you do should speak for itself, but I feel like that doesn’t fly as an adult. Maybe we can get better at it together! :)

      Reply

  15. I hope this is the happiest of birthdays for you Katelyn! I love your wish list, it having a few things I can totally relate to. I hope the events of coming year allows you to check each one of your goals off.
    xo,
    –Anna

    Reply

  17. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Katelyn! I hope this year brings you many joys!

    I love your list and should make note of those things myself! I can tell you that even at 33 sometimes I still feel like I’m impersonating an adult :) I don’t think there’s anything wrong with still having a young spirit even as we age and take on more and more adult responsibilites. Enjoy it!

    Reply

  18. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :) These are great goals! I have pretty much all of that on my list too, I think I just need to work harder on them.

    have a great day!

    Reply

  20. Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :D Hope you’re having a good one today! :D

    I love that you made little goals for yourself. I turn 25 at the end of this year and I think I’m starting to freak out. So in particular, I really relate to your 2nd to last point – there are things in life that we want to achieve at this point in our lives, but some of that we’re just not there yet. And you can’t fault yourself for not being there, and not enjoying what we *do* have at this point.

    Reply

    • Thanks Kristin! I think I’ll probably freak out when I turn 25- my mom was 25 when I was born and I’ve always thought that would like “real grown up” age. It’s okay, we’ll be fine! :)

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  25. Happy Happy HAPPY Birthday, Kate! Loved reading your goals and couldn’t agree more with “revel in this season.” It’s so easy to want more, dream big, do more, push more…it’s what we’re told success is defined as. But then you wake up one day and that time in your life is gone and you say “I wish I had more fun and enjoyed myself more.” Wishing you a year full of no regrets, and enjoying where you are, exactly as you are.

    Reply

  27. Oh, Kate! I loved this post. Wishing you the happiest of birthdays! I’m not far behind you… I’ll be 24 in January, & I’m so feeling what you’re saying about sometimes feeling like you’re impersonating an adult.

    I really love the one about falling back in love with exercising. I’m right there with ya about loving the way it makes you feel. Endorphins are quite amazing!

    xoxo

    Reply

  30. happy belated birthday :) i just turned 30 and wrote myself a letter, kinda like your post. i just love that and am so glad we met this morning through blog brunch. x x o

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  31. Hi Kate, you make me chuckle. I still feel like an imposter and I will be 50 soon! Maybe that is what it means to be young at heart. I hope you had a happy birthday and that my package arrived in time. Love you!
    Aunt Amanda

    Reply

    • Thanks Aunt Amanda! I haven’t gotten it yet, but sometimes Lexington mail takes a little longer than most :) I’ll be looking for it! Love you too!

      Reply

  33. Happy birthday! I can completely relate to “impersonating an adult.” I’m 28, have a 1 year-old and nearly 4 years of marriage under my belt, and completely feel like there’s no way I could really be an adult sometimes.

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  35. Hi Kate,

    I came across your blog on Pinterest. I’ve been blogging on and off since 2009. My blog is mainly a journal of me and my family so I have it set to private, but I’m always looking for tips on how to do it bigger and better. Next year, I’m going to work on getting a better camera and posting more frequently. What type of photo editing do you use? Specifically for the photo in this post.

    Thanks again for all your helpful posts.

    Reply

    • Hi Nicole! I use Photoshop, but I think that for what I did in this photo Photoshop Elements would do just fine! I used my Wacom tablet for the lettering. Hope that helps!

      Reply

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