10 things I would tell myself 10 years ago...

I'm in the process of making big A.D.U.L.T decisions. I write that in caps and with singular letters because that it literally how detailed investing in your future is. I'm hitting 28 in a few months and I really feel like my 20's have flashed past my eyes and I have this gnawing feeling of just not wanting to grow up quite yet. Is it the fear? God I have no idea. I don't really get the fear. I just worry that I have not made enough mistakes or been ballsy enough. I don't mind regrets. I feel like they are life lessons, but if I was 18 again, there are a few things I would like to tell myself in advance. Maybe my life would have panned totally different. Maybe not...

1. Start a savings account. Way sooner. Even if it's €20 a month in a deposit account. Make it an automatic debit transaction (I always find you brush of physically having to deposit money!). It's a healthy habit, and one that you'll appreciate in years to come...! If I had realised how difficult it would be in my late 20's as a self-employed woman to get mortgage approval- I am not sure I would have gone down the path that I have. 

2. Say no! I've always said yes. Since day 1. Yes to extra work. Yes to more responsibilities. Yes to anything anyone has ever asked me to do. It's ok to say no (add a little thank-you!). And no, your not being selfish!

3. Regularly re-evaluate your vision board. I've always associated a vision board with something that you might do in a group work in school/college- however I have found mine (only done one in Jan 2016!)  super motivating when I take the time to look at it (place it somewhere you will always see it!). I'd have loved to have done one of these years ago. I might have thrown down things in my late teens that I would never dare write down now. We are more naive when we are younger and there is nothing wrong with that!

4. Don't buy so many shoes. God I bought so many shoes. SOOO many shoes. I could have had my own shoe shop. Be realistic. Fashion constantly changes. Buy a few staples and 2-3  fashion pieces that you can rotate. My bank manager has warned me about my purchasing patterns. I am now paying the price for having a colourful wardrobe...Boo!

5. Keep in touch. Social media doesn't actually count! When I turned 18, I started dance college and most of my school friends went on to do various things and then a good lot moved abroad. I got so caught up with my training and travelling, I didn't go out as much and lost a huge amount of contact with the company of people I really enjoyed. It's so much harder when you get older to make friends. The awkwardness. Our busy lives. We always say in passing that we should meet up and we never do...

6. Avoid M & S like the plague. It's made me develop a very unhealthy relationship in justifying spending hard end money on items like mojito flavoured popcorn and mixed seafood risotto. I think if I didn't have such a fruitful palette from a young age, I'd be a lot richer and probably a size 8!

7. Have my eyebrows threaded and tinted from a pro. Religiously. What was I thinking going around with upside-down Nike ticks above my eye I'll never know. I shudder when I see photos of me from the past...

8. Breathe more and learn to relax. Any body that really knows me will know that I am the most tense, up tight, obsessive, over-thinking headless chicken. I'm a busy fool. And it's not healthy. I've been like this for at least the last 10 years. Had I spent time in my late teens pausing and breathing, I'd probably be more rational and calmer.

9. Work abroad before opening up a business. I love going abroad and I wish I hadn't rushed into opening my schools so soon. I'm limited that anything international now is purely as a holiday...I wish someone had said hold off on opening up your school and go work somewhere for a year.

10. Start a coding course. Because let's face it...it's all the tech geeks out there that have really been the most successful!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!