Turning 30: how to become a rock star of your own life

For many, the 20s are a period of uncertainty and self-discovery, marked by lessons learned the hard way. Perhaps like many other people, I welcomed my 30s with a lot of reflections and key learnings in my personal and professional life. Cultivating a healthy relationship with work, prioritizing well-being and mental health, investing in personal branding were some of the major aspects that helped me to feel the inner rock. May it be a little reflection for me and a little inspiration for others.?

1.???? Relationship with your job is the key

During my 20s, I discovered the true meaning of a culture-person fit the hard way. If you often experience headaches, poor sleep, feel underappreciated, cry frequently, or, in the worst-case scenario, face sexism or mobbing, it's time to leave that organization. On the other hand, if Monday isn’t the worst day of the week, you don’t mind working extra hours or on weekends (not because you have to, but because you love what you do), and your manager’s messages don’t scare you, then you have a healthy relationship with your job and are a happy person overall.

I believe employer branding should be recognized as a strategically important business area (kudos to organizations already investing in it) for attracting and recruiting culturally fit talent. It helps eliminate blind spots for both parties, allowing organizations and individuals to avoid those hard lessons.

When you’re in the right place, surrounded by the right people, and doing work that makes you thrive, you simply rock. Your clients feel your energy and enthusiasm, your results speak for themselves, and your mental health is in a good state. The key learning: look for a place where your inner drive will move you and your organization forward, not the other way around.

2.???? The importance of your wellbeing & mental health

Recently, I came across the phrase, "No one needs a horse that has been run down". Indeed, you are only as productive as your ability to recharge effectively. The two major components below have completely transformed my well-being and productivity.

Sports:?Embracing an active lifestyle is the best investment in your health, productivity, sleep, and personal and professional relationships. Weight-lifting has retrained my nervous system and expanded its boundaries. While I’m far from a professional athlete and haven’t achieved anything noteworthy, experiencing mental challenges and training to the point of complete exhaustion and blackouts has been eye-opening. Now, I understand this might sound controversial to some, but in my view, this is how you push your boundaries, this is how you rock. The mentality you maintain in sports directly correlates with your approach to work. The key learning: make exercise a priority, our bodies are meant to move.

Nutrition:?I’m not a doctor, nor do I have a degree in medicine or nutrition. However, my personal experience has taught me that our biochemical drive is way beyond our free will. If you train your nervous system to make the right choices, you can possibly have a healthier, happier, and longer life. Learning about my body and the science behind its processes has transformed how I feel and look from the inside out. Understanding how certain foods affect my body has maximized my mental performance and helped to rock. The key learning: you are giving your body instructions on what you eat, give the right ones.

3.???? Personal branding for a better understanding of yourself

The importance of an active lifestyle and good nutrition is clear. It not only makes you feel great and perform well but also boosts your self-confidence. I wish I had discovered the significance of both of these aspects, along with personal branding, earlier in my life.

Feedback from others, new opportunities, and self-realization resulting from personal branding efforts have greatly increased my confidence. It has helped me overcome imposter syndrome, accept myself, and experience a sense of inner freedom. This process helped me (and still helps) to cultivate my authenticity and simply relax, it helped me to be more me. One key discovery from personal branding is that the more you communicate, the better you understand who you are. Personal branding is a long journey where you must find meaning and know your "why", the rest will follow in time. You are already a rock star if you've understood and accepted who you are, without a need to change it. The key learning: invest time in personal branding sooner rather than later –?it will pay off eventually.

To me, becoming a rockstar of your own life is about making the right choices in your career, personal and professional relationships, and maintaining self-respect. "You have to lose until you win, but you always push forward" are words that often stay at the back of my mind, whether in my professional life, personal life, sports, or any other circumstances.

On a more personal note, I believe that for most people, their 20s are a very uncertain and shaky period. I enter my 30s with much more confidence, clarity, and a big gratitude for my past learnings and experiences. I am curious about what the next decade will bring, but I know one thing: I will continue being a rockstar in my own life and this is what I wish for others.

With love,

Viktorija

[email protected]

www.personacognita.com/en