Age thirty…

A threshold, a turning point…

Some see it as the beginning of middle age, some as the real start of youth…

For me, thirty is when a person truly starts to understand themselves. It’s the age when you start to realize who you really are, what you want from life.

I think before thirty, we live more according to what society, family, our surroundings expect from us. We try to fit into the molds that are defined for us.

University graduation, finding a job, getting married, having children… Most people are trying to follow this path. And they think if they can’t achieve these, they’ve failed in some way.

But after thirty, we start to question these patterns more. We start asking ourselves “Is this really what I want?” We start to look at our own inner voice, our own desires more carefully.

Of course this doesn’t mean everyone goes through this questioning phase. Some people continue to live according to patterns even after thirty. But I think people who question tend to find themselves after thirty.

What I mean by finding yourself is; knowing what you want, what you don’t want, what makes you happy, what makes you unhappy. It’s accepting yourself with all your good and bad sides. It’s being able to say “Yes, this is me” without feeling the need to be someone else.

And I think this is one of the most valuable things a person can achieve in life. Because as long as you don’t accept yourself, as long as you don’t know yourself well, you can’t be truly happy.

You’re constantly trying to fill the void inside you with something. You’re constantly seeking approval from outside. And this makes you dependent on others.

But when you know and accept yourself, you become free. You no longer need approval from anyone. You determine your own path, you make your own decisions.

Of course this doesn’t mean being inconsiderate of others. But it means living with

out losing yourself while considering others.

For me, thirty was a turning point in this sense. I started to know and accept myself better. I started living more freely. And I’m very happy about this…