Hey! So this week is my birthday… Oh man! What a year it has been… People around me always said life after turning 30 is just a downward spiral. Boy, they were wrong! I had the best year ever and I’m just getting started…

Today I thought it would be fun to share “31 Things” – fun facts about me, favorite quotes, and things I’ve learned thus far. I hope this helps you get to know me a little better…

1. So many good things happened this year so it’s hard to choose but this years’ highlights were:

Traveling to Thailand, Rhodes, Belgrade, Madrid, Seville, and Brazil!

Seeing the first building I’ve planned being built.

Meeting amazing new people and making great friendships.

Learning how to listen to my heart and stepping outside of comfort zone.

Trying lots of new things and crossing off so much from my bucket list.

Starting this blog. Yay!

2. The older I get the more I understand that it’s okay to live a life others don’t understand. Bottom line –  it’s your life, follow your heart, regardless of what others tell you to do because at the end of the day it’s YOU who has to live with your decisions, not them.

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner | Lao Tzu

3. Stop being a people pleaser. Everyone will ALWAYS have something to say. You are probably going to get criticized no matter what you do, so just do your own thing with fewer f**** given, please. (Great book, by the way. Thanks, Mark Manson!)

4. Your life is right now. It’s not later, it’s not when you get the house, the job or the perfect partner. It’s today – don’t even wait for the weekend. Go and live your life. Be happy now and then everything else will come to you.

But also…

5. Trust the timing of your life. Just because you’re taking longer than others, doesn’t mean you failing. A bit of cliché but I’ve learned this year to just let go and trust, and even kind of like the unknown (Something that used to terrify me). I’ve noticed that things come to us when we are the readiest for them and not when we think we want them to come. And that’s OK!

Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible | Mandy Hale

6. It’s never too late to be what you might have been | George Eliot. As I said before, there is no time limit on life – you’re not too old for anything.

7.  My favorite food is pizza. Oh no, wait, pasta! And French fries and my mom’s mash potatoes… with a salad on the side… I can’t decide! I just LOVE food and ALWAYS thinking about the next thing I’ll eat hahaha

Ooooh and Cheese Cake. I love Cheese Cakes.

I’m also obsessed with avocados! If I could, I would have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think | Buddha

8. Thinking positively isn’t about expecting the best to happen every time but accepting that whatever happens is the best for this moment.

At times, people question my ‘glass half full kind of attitude’. It’s not easy but once you let go of the way you thought things should turn out and just go with the flow of life I promise you-you’ll be much happier. Try to look at the bright side of every situation even if you have to squint your eyes a bit harder sometimes.

Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it yourself | Eckhart Tolle

9. Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gets you nowhere. I know that worrying is our natural default but when you think about it – worrying is pointless. It will never change the outcome or make it better so… why worry?

10. I feel uncomfortable when the number on the volume dial is uneven. Strange, I know… but apparently I’m not the only one. Are you like that too?

Family is not an important thing. It’s everything | Michael J. Fox

11. It doesn’t matter if you’re 3 or 30 – your parents are your parents. Love them, respect them and most importantly spend time with them! They’re not going to be here forever.

My dad used to say – you don’t get to choose your family but I don’t think it’s accurate (Sorry dad…). I think everything is a choice in life. My parents are the best – I would have chosen them if I could. Yes, they can drive me crazy at times but they are totally what made me who I am and they make everything better. #blessed

12. Find your tribe and Love them hard!

Surround yourself with good, positive people that fill up your cup. People that believe in you so much you start to believe in yourself too, people that love you for simply being you. As I get older I understand how important that is and can’t accept anything less. I am incredibly lucky to have amazing friends around me, Another Family I chose for myself.

13. I live in Tel Aviv. I grew up here and although I travel quite a lot I still think it’s the best city ever!

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears | Nelson Mandela

14. You know the truth by the way it feels. I think that deep down inside we always know the answer – whether it’s our choice of a partner, our purpose in life or any decision we have to make. We know what’s right for us but sometimes just refuse to listen to our hearts.

15. I try to eat healthy as much as I can. I love to cook. But also think that microwave popcorn is a legit dinner hahaha

16. Live simply. If it makes you happy do it. If it doesn’t, then don’t.

17. Like something? State it. Don’t like something? Say it. Have a question? Ask. Want something? Ask for it.

As simple as that. Is it weird it took me 30 years to get that…?

18. For the most part, I run on solar energy. I’m the happiest when I’m at the beach, in my bikini, smelling the ocean and the sun kissing my face.

Ten years from now make sure you chose your life you didn’t settle for it | Mandy Hale

19. Embrace change. Your path may change and that’s ok. Don’t fight it – in our ‘always on the go millennial world’ dreams are updated just as much as apps do. Don’t stick with something that no longer works for you just because you once thought that’s what you want.

20. I prefer summer over winter, morning over night, wine over beer, green scenery over the desert and savory over sweet.

21. My favorite color is yellow.

22. Try saying YES more often to fun (and leisure).

If it feeds your inner light, it’s not an indulgence. It’s a necessity.

23. Learn how to say NO, even without explaining yourself (hmm… still working on that one…)

24. I drink between 3-4 liters of water every day (!). This is why you should drink more water too.

25. Besides water and coffee, cold white wine is my drink of choice!

26. “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use “| Steve Jobs

Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively | Dalai Lama

27. Be in charge of your own happiness. Don’t expect people (or things) to make you happy. Don’t feel entitled to your joy- work for it. On the other hand, understand that others are also in charge of how they feel, don’t think their happiness is your responsibility.

28. Everybody is going through something. So first, try not to judge and not to compare. And second, remember that everybody is going through something – recognizing suffering is part of the shared human experience is a great thing (and one of the most important elements of self-compassion).

A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between, he does what he wants to do | Bob Dylan

29. Stop measuring yourself by the things you have or your achievement and start measuring success by how happy you are.

30. Smile, to others and to yourself. Even (or especially) if you don’t have a reason. Fake it until you make it. You’ll be amazed at the power of a good smile. Whenever I feel a little down, when I’m alone in my car or just walking down the street I put on a big smile and even though some people might think I’m crazy it always puts me in a good mood, especially when people smile back.

Don’t feel silly… try it right now. It’s already working, right?

31. Love yourself. Oh! I saved the best for last. Overall, we all know we need to practice to get better at work, study hard to be good at school, we even figured out that our relationships take work but somehow we still miss the most important relationship of all – the one with ourselves. We criticize ourselves, put ourselves down, don’t believe in our own worthiness and afraid to spend time by ourselves. This year was a good lesson in self-love (still working on this one too…). Just remember no matter who you are or where you’re at – you matter. You are enough, you have enough, you do enough.

What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet | Anne Frank

Altogether, this could sound cheesy or a bit cliché but this is how (I try to) live my life. Working hard on my relationship with myself and with others, on always improving myself and most of all on being happy.

And lastly, one wish for the next year –

32. I wish myself to step even further outside of my comfort zone, to be bold, to go after what I want, to not be afraid and never stop believing in myself. Doesn’t matter what this year may bring, I wish myself to be HAPPY.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life- to be happy – it’s all that matters | Audrey Hepburn

Can’t wait to see what the next year will bring…. Meanwhile, I’m off to celebrate and of course get me some birthday cake.