28 Things That I've Learned in 28 Years

For my 28th birthday, I asked for a steam mop. That’s where I’m at right now. Just let that sink in.

I’m actually pretty excited to be turning 28! Each year of my mid-late twenties has brought something big to my life – Odie and a house at 25, Kirby at 26, diving into entrepreneurship at 27 – and I expect that 28 will be no different.

I thought that it would be fun to sort of reminisce and write out 28 things that I’ve learned in my 28 years. Some are serious, some are funny. I hope you enjoy!

Skincare is important. I wish I had paid attention to this one sooner. Put on SPF, wash your face and moisturize. Just do it.

Sit back and enjoy, and good shit will come. Each good thing that has entered my life over the years came, you guessed it, when I wasn’t expecting it. I had practically given up on finding a house when I stumbled upon the one I bought, I was not interested in dating when I met Kirby. When you just let life happen and enjoy what you have, you invite more of the good shit into your life.

If something doesn’t feel right, go to a healthcare professional. For the longest time, I would just say “I’m just sore, it’s fine”. Then I started getting intense headaches and I decided to go see a chiropractor to help me out. From him, I learned that being sore or in any pain isn’t normal. Now I go to the chiropractor or RMT every couple weeks and I feel better than I’ve ever felt before.

There is no right order of events in life. In my early twenties, I was frustrated that I was single, not having kids yet (lol), not on track to be CEO. My parents met as teens, were married when my mom was 19, had me in their early twenties and have been committed to their careers since I was born. I thought that’s how life was supposed to go! Now at 28, I’m glad that my life has had a different order of events. I feel much better prepared at this stage in life to start thinking about kids and being CEO of my OWN company!

Quality furniture is expensive, but worth it. A few years ago, I was totally cool with a hand-me-down couch from my grandparents and a cheap table and chairs from IKEA. Now that I have a home that has been almost fully renovated, I want to fill it with beautiful, quality furniture. We love our couch from Article and I’m eyeing this beautiful sideboard.

You keep the friends that you make an effort to keep. This might not be true for all friendships, but I have learned that it takes great effort to maintain strong friendships, but it’s totally worth it. Just like a romantic relationship, you have to work at it and don’t take it for granted! I’m lucky to have a few strong friendships that have lasted years and are sure to last many more.

If you want to create your own success, you can. For so long I was waiting for the right opportunity to start my own business and blog and begin creating the career that I wanted. Truthfully, there was no right opportunity. I could have started when I did, or I could have started years ago and been farther ahead at this point. There’s no use in dwelling on it, but it’s a great reminder to stop waiting and just start.

Cider tastes good, but it will go straight to your waist. Enough said I think.

A house is a great investment. When I first started looking for a home to purchase, I wouldn’t say I was very strategic about it, but I learned a lot in the process and it really worked out in my favour. I bought my home way under assessed value and have renovated it to have an income generating suite and tons more value than when I moved in. I feel well prepared to buy our next property and make a sound investment.

If he doesn’t laugh at your bad jokes, he’s not the one. Kirby rolls on the floor laughing at every joke I make. Every single one.

Drink more water. I’ve definitely learned this a long time ago, but do I follow this life advice? Still working on it. I’ll update you when I turn 29.

Time spent with family is never wasted. I have always been very close with my family and I am so grateful for that. Some of my favourite memories are Disney trips with my family, games nights, visiting my grandparents and family Christmas parties. I take every opportunity to spend quality time with my family.

Cooking is an important skill to have. I have been a terrible cook for as long as I can remember. Since I bought a house, I’ve been trying to improve my cooking skills and learn how to make different dishes. The ability to cook all kinds of different things can have a major positive impact on your diet.

You can always make more money. This is one that I learned from Kirby actually. We were on a walk one day, I was stressing about quitting my full time job and becoming self-employed and the monetary repercussions of that and he just said “We can always find ways to make more money.” So simple, but that moment really changed things for me. I have always stressed about having enough money, even though I’ve never put myself in a position where I didn’t have enough. But really, if you need money, there are always ways to make it. Start doing landscaping for your neighbours, become a virtual assistant, offer tutoring services. If you want more money, no job should be beneath you – you have to put in the work to have the money that you want.

Gin is gross. Omg. I wish that 16-year-old Sam knew this. Sorry if you like gin, this is just a personal lesson that I learned.

Adopting a rescue dog is one of the most rewarding things in life. For me anyways. Adopting Odie was one of the best things I’ve ever done. He came with plenty of personality and challenges, but we’ve worked through those challenges together. Every time I look at him, I’m reminded that I’ve given him a much better life and also way too much bacon. Way too much.

Patience and a positive attitude. These two things can be kind of annoying, but ultimately, they lead to good things. I can be very impatient, but it’s often just because I am passionate. I try to practice patience and having a positive attitude as much as I can.

Knowledge is power. When I worked in media, I was often asked tons of questions by my superiors about marketing and social media. I would spend hours every day reading blogs and articles and learning as much as I could, and it paid off. Not only was my knowledge valuable to the companies that I worked for, but also to me in establishing and marketing my own business. Every bit of knowledge is useful.

You can never have enough pairs of leggings. It’s just a fact. I basically live in leggings. I have these ones in about 10 colours.

Plans change and you need to adapt. I’m still working on this one. I have never been good at going with the flow – I like to have a plan and stick to it. I’m trying to get better at accepting that plans do change and I need to be able to roll with it more often.

You can find inspiration anywhere. We’re so lucky to have technology that allows us to find inspiration for anything. I find inspiration for my blog on other blogs, Instagram, Pinterest, walking around town, having random conversations with Kirby, in the paint section at Home Depot. You just have to keep your eyes and your mind open.

Keep it simple and meaningful. One big lesson that I’ve learned in the last few years is that you do not need some elaborate, well-thought out plan or tons of money to make success for yourself. Often the greatest strategy is keeping things simple, but meaningful.

Your parents need support too. I have leaned on my amazing parents more times than I can count for advice, financial support and emotional support. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that sometimes, my parents need support as well. They may not need financial support, but occasionally I can offer them advice or support their ideas and decisions. They’ve done so much for me, it’s the least I can do.

Love shouldn’t be hard. When you’re young and entering the dating world, you think that love results from getting through many obstacles and challenges, just like in the movies. But in my experience, the challenges in past relationships were actually just red flags. When I found real love, it was easy, fun and made perfect sense.

Spend the money. Spending a lot of money on things, other than a house and vehicle, has always scared me, but I’ve come to realize that I care much more for the things I’ve invested in. I take much better care of my expensive couch than the hand-me-down and I reach for my pricey denim shorts more than any other pair. If it’s a sound investment that you’ll get a lot of use out of it, it’s often worth the price tag.

Staying active is as much for your mind as your body. I was always super active when I was in school, but once I started college and working a lot, I didn’t get nearly enough exercise. I started working out and playing soccer again in my mid-twenties and it has been a game changer for not just how my body looks and feels, but also my mind. I feel less stressed and happier with myself when I’m active.

Be authentic, have a point of view and don’t be afraid to disagree. Being yourself is your greatest asset. Don’t filter yourself or change your views to match anyone else’s. It’s healthy to disagree, to stand for something other than the norm and to be unapologetically yourself. When I worked in media, I had my fair share of disagreements, especially with my bosses, and I am proud that I always stood my ground and made my point. What I had to say was valuable, and I would never pretend to be someone I’m not or say something that I don’t believe in.
“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.” – Walt Disney. It is my mission in life to always be a kid at heart. I will always love Disneyland. I will always love getting candy from the convenience store and getting a sugar high. I will always “race you to that lamppost!”. Moving into another year of life will never mean growing old for me.

A huge thank you to everyone that has helped me to learn these lessons over the years. I can’t wait to see what 28 brings!