I turned 30 exactly a month ago.
And I spent a lot of time reflecting on this.
What have I accomplished?
What did I learn?
Was I happy?
Am I happy?
Did I live my 20s to its fullest?
All I know is that it sure was a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences.
And surprisingly, a lot of it has been documented here on YouTube.
I took some time to watch some of my old videos.
And as cringey as that was, it got me pretty emotional.
I felt proud of my twenty something year old self.
Every year looked different, but was special on its own way.
And I want to share what each year taught me.
[Enjoy College]
When I turned 20, I would say I was in a good place.
I was attending a dream school.
Lived with my close friends and enjoyed learning.
The Bay Area was very different from my So Cal background, but it was a nice fresh start for my 20s.
And my biggest lesson learned would be to enjoy college.
No matter how stressful it is in the moment, trust me.
It's the time to socialize, meet new people, study abroad, go to live sporting games.
Because those memories will last a long time.
[Adults are still learning]
When I turned 21, I learned that age is really just a number.
We're all forever adulting.
I thought that I would know exactly what I would want to do, career wise.
But truthfully, I didn't.
The chances are, everyone around you might be feeling the same way.
I know my peers did and we were all going through that Sophomore slump.
[Study or Live Abroad]
I thought by the age of 22 and after graduating from college,
I would have a better understanding of who I am and what I wanted to do.
But I didn't and that was tough.
So I worked a few jobs to pay for rent in the Bay Area,
until I made the ultimate decision to move to Korea.
And as scary as it was to move to another country,
I would say it's a challenge that's only going to grow you
It sure changed me for the better.
And if you are a student right now, my tip is to study abroad to experience what it would be like.
Everything is much easier and fun when you're still a student.
[Adult Acne is Real.]
Still, at the age of 23, I had a lot of acne.
Bad diet, stress, and not having a decent skincare routine.
When I moved to Korea, that all changed because I learned to take better care of my skin.
And my acne journey is how I started my YouTube channel.
From sharing about my favorite products to documenting Troi peels and laser procedures,
I learned a lot about skincare and eventually felt comfortable in my skin.
It was fun to create personal and informative content and eventually, products.
[Take Risks in your 20s]
Which leads to my next lesson, take risks in your 20s.
I had stable jobs that didn't necessarily make me happy.
I've worked in the office, schools, and even in the entertainment industry.
So I wanted to take this opportunity to let you guys know that I'll be taking a break from radio.
I've been working with Steve on The Steve Hatherly Show for almost two years now, which is crazy.
And I learned so much, but it's time for me to move on.
I'm going to take a break, focus on my health and YouTube.
And slowly look for another broadcasting job in the future.
Yeah, stay tuned, I'm really excited, and can't wait to share more content with you guys.
So, I wanted to make this quick announcement.
[Do what you love]
And by the time I turned 25, I learned to commit to what I love to do.
As you all know, 25 is the year that is fully documented on YouTube because I vlogged every day.
I felt like I dealt with the quarter-life crisis in my early 20s.
And when I actually did turn 25, I wanted to do something about it.
And if I didn't commit to this channel, I know for a fact that I wouldn't be where I am today.
This was the year I finally got out of my slump.
This was the year I was the happiest in my 20s.
And I'm so grateful to have documented it all.
Vlogging daily changed my life, and I want to thank you for watching my videos.
[It's okay to still be single.]
I always wanted to get married at the age of 24.
But if that didn't happen, I told myself, 26.
And trust me, I get pressured about this all the time.
Family, friends, peers have pointed this out often about "Why aren't you dating?"
Or blame it on me by saying "It's because you're so picky."
For the longest time, I didn't know what was wrong with me and blamed myself for it.
I felt lonely, unwanted, ugly, and couldn't really share this with people.
Because it seemed like everyone around was in a relationship.
Don't get me wrong, I love meeting my friends' significant others.
But the question of "What about you?" was always something I dreaded.
But I will say, being single helped me become even more independent.
I feel like I know what I want and what I need.
And therefore, I don't want to waste my time.
Because time is precious and I can use it to work on myself and love myself more.
[The right time is now]
Is this the day we rule the world?
Yeah.
Is it Joan?
It's our day!
2019 was probably the busiest year I've ever lived in my 20s.
And yes, busier than Joan Day 365.
I was living in airports, fighting jet lags almost every month.
But I was living my ultimate dream.
Although it was physically tiring, I'm so grateful for that experience.
Because we all know what happens the year after.
This is the year I started to take more chances and live a little more spontaneously.
I let go of having a five or ten-year plan or living for the future.
We have to live in the moment.
[Slow Down]
2020 will be an amazing year for the GOAT.
Strong relationships and overall success.
2020.
[A YEAR WE ALL WANT TO FORGET] It sucked to live through a pandemic during my late 20s.
But this is also the year that forced me to slow down and appreciate everything around me.
I don't think I've ever spent so much time at home.
But I learned to spend more time by myself, for myself, a lot of reflecting, reinforcing.
And like many households, redecorating.
We all deserve a break.
Sometimes we need to slow down.
[Take care of your body]
Take care of your body.
I don't know why I waited so long to exercise daily.
I always put it off or blamed it on my schedule.
But we all have the time to work out.
I've been working out almost daily and I feel better and stronger.
It's a physical change that is so worth it.
It also helps me relieve stress, and that's always a plus.
We have to take care of ourselves and I'm glad I started when I'm still "young."
[Have faith]
And finally, an ongoing thing that I want to continuously bring along to my 30s is to have faith.
No matter what life threw at me, it was the only thing that kept me going.
Thank you, and cheers to my 30s!
[Soli Deo Gloria]