Austin's Golden Birthday!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

I’m not a huge birthday celebrator. I usually have a nice dinner with family and that’s it. But this year is special; it’s my Golden Birthday (my age = my birthday, 26).

We started off my birthday weekend with something I have never done….a pedicure.

I just have one question: why has no one ever forced me to get one before??? It was awesome and frankly my feet really needed it. This isn’t what the section is about, I’m just surprised by how much I liked it!

My birthday has always been sort of just a day. I never took a moment and realized what it means; that age equals responsibility. As I have gotten older and graduated high school/college, I’ve been waiting for the I’m old moment. That moment you feel like an adult and have everything figured out; well, I’ve got a big secret to tell you….that moment never comes.

When I was 22/23, I felt invincible; I felt that nothing could get in the way of my wildest dreams. Then life happened. I changed jobs. I bought a house. I started dating an amazing person. A pandemic happened. And now I’m turning 26 not accomplishing any of the goals I set out to accomplish at 22. To be honest, I feel like a failure.

Being 25 brought a ton of thought and perspective into my view of life. I started to look internal for my goals instead of external. I took time to ask myself big questions like, “Where do I see myself in 5 years?” or “What do I want people to say at my funeral?”. I realized I focused all my goals on my career; when I should’ve included personal and relationship goals. I want to be successful in life, but I also want to have friends and family with me along the way.

My largest viewpoint shift is a focus on being content. I have always lived in the next step mindset where I am always thinking about hitting the next milestone to feel successful. The issue with that is I never enjoy the journey. I am constantly chasing the high of accomplishing something that I miss the satisfaction of just being alive. This isn’t to say my aspirations have lowered or I have given up; this is just a mindset shift that has allowed me to feel happy.

So 26 is my Golden Year, and my only goal this year is to enjoy every single minute of it. There will be bad days as there is every year, but I’m focusing on changing my perspective so even those feel like wins.

I’m not a sucker for romantic comedies; honestly, I usually hate them….about “About Time” is very different.

I would never have sat down and watched About Time if my girlfriend Katie hadn’t twisted my arm. My ideal movie is anything but a romantic comedy. I like plots that make me think and the unpredictability of an adventure. So why then am I recommending a romantic comedy? There are various reasons, but they all boil down to a simple lesson; live life differently.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “What does that even mean?”, I am going to give you some context without spoiling the whole film. “About Time” is about a young man with the ability to time travel and tries to change his past in hopes of improving his future. Sounds pretty basic, but the decisions he makes along the way cause massive butterfly effects. This creates a movie about life decisions and the effects they have on our lives. The lasting feeling the film leaves you with is an appreciation for the mundane; appreciate every moment of life no matter how big or small it is.

This past year, through covid and everything, has changed my outlook on life. I always looked forward to when big changes happen but didn’t pause to look around and appreciate what I have been given. Go into this film with an open mind about your own life and how you might’ve skated by some of the best moments. You can watch this on Netflix here.

Thanks for taking the time to read all the way through to the end! I got so many good suggestions from social media so if you would like to leave any suggestions for good movies or tv shows to just send them to me there. Also, here’s a tweet I died at after Jeff Bezos took a trip to space lol.