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Lifestyle

5 Ways To Get Your Garden Ready For Guests

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Image Credit: Pixabay License CC0

Who doesn’t love summer? You get to enjoy longer days with more light. The sun shines, making you feel good about the world. This all provides plenty of opportunities to socialize with friends and family. 

There is no better place to do this than from the comfort of your garden (think: Garden Party episode of The Office). If your garden is not already equipped for summer socializing, no worries; you can achieve some results fairly quickly.

Clear Up Your Garden

The first thing that you’ll want to do is clear up your garden. There is nothing wrong with taking a wild approach to the garden design. After all, having all of your plants in perfect lines isn’t the most exciting things to see. Why not plant some wildflowers to give the place a bit of color? Everyone loves color!

As long as your lawns are mowed, your bushes and hedges trimmed back, and your patio is clear of weeds and has been power washed, then you are good to go!

BBQ’s And Grills

The best way to start some outdoor socializing is to have a barbecue. There are several great grills available for outdoor use, that will give your food a great taste. You could compare the kamado joe vs big green egg to find the best smoker for you. 

Whether your tastes are for meat, fish, or vegetables, a smoker can make some tasty meals that will get all of your friends excited. 

Get A Hot Tub


Owning a hot tub has never been more achievable. You can buy some great hot tubs for a very reasonable amount these days. With more and more places selling them, the competition to get the best prices is on. You’ll want to look into the details, such as the type of filtration the tub offers, as well as the number of jets and pumps. There are lots of additional features that may tempt you, such as music systems and lighting. 

Why not create a beautiful area for your hot tub with a gazebo over it, and some outdoor heating too. That way, you can enjoy your tub through the fall, and maybe even into the winter. Even here in Vegas, the winters get pretty cold!

Patio Furniture

You’ll want to get some lovely patio furniture so that your friends and family can enjoy your garden in comfort. The more you have, the better. That way, everyone can get a seat. Make sure you test anything that you are going to buy to make sure it’s comfortable. You’ll want to relax in your garden, and having garden furniture that allows you to do this is essential. 

Decorate

If you want to make your garden into a peaceful oasis, why not decorate it? Maybe include some solar-powered lights. These are relatively inexpensive, and you can get them in a range of styles. String lights make for a nice touch, particularly when attached to the inside of a gazebo. 

Make sure that if you are using any electrical items that they are designed for outdoor use, and be sure to use waterproof sockets with circuit breakers if they are mains operated.  

There are so many ways to give yourself a beautiful backyard, complete with the garden we’ve been talking about. Create it however you want, and most of all, enjoy it!

•What do you have in your backyard? What is your garden like?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Holistic Living

Mindfulness and the Metaphysical

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metaphysics

/mɛtəˈfɪzɪks/

noun

  1. the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space.
  2. “they would regard the question of the initial conditions for the universe as belonging to the realm of metaphysics or religion.”
  • an abstract theory with no basis in reality.
    • “his concept of society as an organic entity is, for market liberals, simply metaphysics.”

Photo by Jacub Gomez from Pexels – CC0

Some people are all science, and others are faith and believing in more. It doesn’t really matter what side of the fence you’re on, no one can deny the beauty and wonder that is to be found from the earth itself. 

Now that we are surrounded by technology 24 hours a day, people are looking for more meaning. They are finding it in simple places like yoga, mindfulness, meditation, crystals, and mantras. Long walks in the woods, reminding us that the world, the universe, is more significant than just us. 

It’s natural to want to further explore all of those paths. When doing yoga, you consider what hot yoga would be like, or traveling to a spiritual ashram in India. When meditating, how long would it be possible if you allowed yourself? 

Mindfulness is recommended for everyone, especially now; paying more attention to what we do and how we do it. Consciously making decisions, and being aware of the outcomes. Being in the moment is a big deal. And while some people believe crystals are no more than pretty rocks, others believe they hold special meanings and even abilities. Citrine for bringing money to you, amethyst for peace, and rose quartz for peace and grounding (& love!). When we know people don’t have our best interests at heart and might want to do us harm in some way, who doesn’t consider finding a protection spells from enemies to get them through it. 

It can be the simple things that really give us feelings we can’t quite describe. When you are standing on the top of a mountain, and you can see the valley below you. You’re surrounded by clouds and the greenest of trees. Or, strolling alongside a babbling brook… it’s impossible not to wonder what more there is. The calming of your spirit when you connect your mind, body, and soul. Those moments feel almost inexplicable. 

During those walks, those peaceful moments. The moments between technology and typical daily or weekly pressure – those moments we roll around to thinking in metaphysical terms. Who are we? What is our purpose? While we know the universe goes on, and on and in fact, there might be multiple universes – what is beyond that? 

When you are sitting, or more preferably laying down, Staring up into the night sky, and watching the stars, that are no longer even there, twinkle and shine. You might notice you aren’t thinking of anything in particular – in fact, of nothing at all. You have found a space where mindfulness and the metaphysical questions have combined to give you that moment of peace. 

•What are your thoughts and feelings on the metaphysical?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health Lifestyle

7 Things You Can Do Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For

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Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay 

As you get older and understand more about life, learn about yourself, and plan for the future, you hopefully won’t have any regrets. However, the more you learn and grow, the more you realize what you could have done differently and what you might do differently in the future. There are a few things you can do today that your future self will thank you for!

Be Proactive

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” and he was absolutely right. If there’s something you want to achieve, the first step is to start. Don’t wait until next month to start your own business, start an exercise regimen, eat healthier, or start meditating. Don’t wait to go to the doctor. If there’s a health issue bothering you, get it checked out now. Eye tests, trips to the dentist, and hearing tests (which you can learn more about here), should not be put off. The time you’re waiting for is now, so take advantage of it!

Invest In Yourself

The best thing you can invest in is yourself, and whether it’s time or money you invest, investing in yourself will give you the greatest rewards in your life. Prioritize yourself, it’s important. 

Be Yourself

Don’t allow yourself to be defined by others or your career. While it takes a lot of insight and courage to be your authentic self, it is the best thing you can be, and if people don’t like you for who you are, it doesn’t matter. Move on and find the people who do. Your life will be much richer for it. 

Create Healthy Boundaries

Whether it’s for exercise, dietary choices, relationships, your job, or spending habits, setting some limits for yourself will pay off in the long run. It might be that you choose to save money each month so you can take a long-overdue vacation, or adopt a healthier diet comprising of whole foods so you can finally run a marathon. Boundaries mean that you have the courage to say “no” to what doesn’t work for you, and say “yes” to things that will serve your best interest in the long term.

Never Stop Learning 

You can never know everything, and there are always things to learn. You might need to learn how to learn for this to make any difference, because it’s not just about retaining the information; it’s about what you do with that information. 

Be Flexible

In life, there are always going to be things that happen that you don’t expect, and that is the joy of life. You never know what’s around the corner, so going with the flow is the key to getting where you want to be. You will rarely achieve things the way you thought they would occur, so don’t try and control everything. Let it be. 🙂

Live a Life of Gratitude

Look around at what you have and be grateful for it. A positive attitude in life does wonders for you and will do so for your future!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health Holistic Living

Become A Hippy Health Lover

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A hippy health lover is not (necessarily) someone with dreadlocks and incense burners (though, they might be and that’s cool!). It’s someone who believes in all of the alternative methods to keep in check with your health, rather than putting pill after pill into your body that’s prescribed by the traditional, western doctors. Some of you will be very suspicious of alternative medicine; not knowing what the government and the health institutes are really putting into our bodies. Some of you will simply not like all of the chemicals that go with western medicine, so maybe you are ready to try some alternative methods. Well, alternative is exactly what we’ve got for you today, because we know how important health is. There seems to be many new health problems arising every minute, from mental health to physical health, and if we don’t start focusing on the issues at hand now, they’re only going to keep growing. So keep on reading, and let us show you how you can become a ”hippy health lover.”

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Alternatives To Pain Relief

When it comes to medicines that we’re putting into our bodies, pain relief is up there with one of the things that we’re shoveling in the most. For one reason or another, so many of us are dealing with daily aches and pains that are hard to get rid of, and you may not want to be putting anti-inflammatories and whatever else into your body to get rid of it, every single day. You could to start thinking about the alternative methods that are sweeping the world and revolutionising it all. CBD oil is one of those, and it’s proving far more effective, and far less destructive, than any normal pain relief is. CBDOlja is just one company that can provide you with the goods, but don’t worry, you won’t be getting stoned off it. This has the THC element stripped, meaning you don’t get high, but you get all of the good health benefits. After a week of using this, we know that you’ll notice a massive difference in the pain you are experiencing.

I take CBD oil every day, multiple times a day. I experience inflammation (especially when it’s humid!), and now I’m recovering from neck surgery. Opioids are highly addictive, so I wanted an alternative to those pain pills. I’ve been taking CBD oil and it’s helped alleviate the pain tremendously! The brand I use is called Charlotte’s Web (affiliate link). It’s third-party tested, grown/sourced in the USA, and has been around for longer than most other oils on the market.

source: https://www.charlottesweb.com/extra-strength-cbd-oil

Go Organic

source:https://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-photo-organic-fruits-and-vegetables-growing-in-compost-1059882158.jpg

If you think about all of the foods that you’re eating in a day, and if you actually look at the contents of any packaged foods, you’ll see that there are many different types of preservatives and additives thrown in there, that are not naturally needed by the body. By going organic, you’re cutting out all of this trash that’s incredibly hard to digest by the body (if at all), and you’ll be turning your body into an oasis. By organic, we mean sticking to fruits and vegetables and lean meats, and trying to stay away from anything that has been packaged, processed, or treated with pesticides, growth hormones, or additives. It is generally easy to cut that crap out of your diet and go organic, you just have to try it for a few weeks, and we promise your digestive system, in particular, will help.

A State Of Mind

Mental health is one of the issues that’s on the rise right now. Depression and anxiety are amongst the biggest conditions that are increasing (especially in teens). It’s now more important than ever to get into the right state of mind. Focus on relaxation and happiness, and maybe think about taking up yoga or meditation. If you tend to focus on your stresses in life, rather than trying to get rid of them, unfortunately it’ll be easier to experience negative mental health (I’ll admit, I struggle with this daily). I have multiple mental health conditions, and while many need medication, like I stated above, I prefer to try alternative methods. Treatments are different for every single person, and I am only speaking to what works for me (*I am not a doctor and do not diagnose, treat, or cure any conditions).

These are only a few recommendations I have, based on my own experiences. They may not work for everyone, and I am in no way telling anyone to change their medication. Always speak to your doctor before changing your health routines!

•Do you prefer traditional medicine or alternative medicine? Do you prefer a mixture of both?

•What do you do the calm your daily stresses? Do you agree with the ones we shared about?

Comment below!

This post was a collaboration. Some links contain affiliate links, meaning I receive monetary compensation if someone orders through that link, at no extra cost to the consumer.

Thank you for reading!

Lifestyle

Make Your Party Go With A Swing With These Tips

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Hosting a party can go one of two ways. It can be one where everybody has a great time, remembers all the little things that you did to make it unique, and gets you invites to many future parties – the other, well it doesn’t bear thinking about!

Here, we look at ways to avoid making the standard errors. With a little preparation and planning, and with these great tips in mind, you’ll be sitting back the next day and congratulating yourself for throwing a great party.

Photo by fu zhichao from Pexels

Guests

Know who they are, what they do, their partners, etc. This is essential to avoid any embarrassing faux pas such as the divorced guest being forced to introduce his new partner that’s not his wife! Also, expect some of the unexpected. If your invite says to bring a friend, then they might, so this needs to be taken into account for food and drink levels. It is also important to take in any considerations, like whether any allergies need catering for, or whether you need to make it accessible for disabled guests with handicap ramps. All of these small things can make the party experience much more agreeable for your guests.

Lower Your Expectations

Throwing a decent party is not difficult, so stop treating it as such. Building up the levels of expectation in your mind won’t help you and will inevitably lead to you panicking and making mistakes. If you say that the food is served at 8 pm, but everyone is chatting and relaxed, does it matter if it’s half an hour later? If it all goes wrong – well, everyone loves a takeout pizza!

Drinks

Drinks are crucial to a good party, so don’t forget to make sure there are plenty for your guests, together with the necessary add-ons such as ice and mixers and enough glasses or cups to go around.  Most drinks are best cold, so think of a way to keep all of the drinks cold and ready for when the guests arrive. If you do want a cocktail, maybe make a punch bowl full for people to help themselves.

Remember though  – not everyone drinks alcohol, and some may be driving, so have plenty of soft drinks and water available.

Food

Your party is not the time to become a master chef, undertaking an invention test, nor is it the time to cook complicated dishes you’ve never tried before. Stick to what you know is good and simple to prepare, have vegetarian options if necessary, and ensure that there are plenty of plates and cutlery.

Themes

If you want to go the extra mile, give your party a theme – just make sure that, unless you want your guests to put in hours of effort, it doesn’t require a tremendous amount of preparation or expense on their part. Think simple fun, such as celebrity face masks, tropical beach party, or the classic murder mystery.

So, as you can see, there is no need to worry. These simple tips will help guide you through the party process both before and during the event. There’s no need to hide behind celebrity masks either, just be yourself and enjoy your party. After all, you’ve earned it!

•Do you like hosting parties? What’s your favorite thing about it?

This post was a collaboration.

Health Lifestyle

Does Replacing Bad Habits for Better Ones Really Work?

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Do you have bad habits? Do you find it difficult to break them, despite knowing the damage they do to you or the people around you? If so, you’re not alone.

Breaking a habit is arguably one of the most difficult things to do in life, and it is extremely tough to last for more than a few days. Depending on what those bad habits are, there’s a chance that your body isn’t physically capable of breaking a habit. For example, heavy drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms if they don’t drink, because their body is so used to the increased alcohol content. That makes people feel like they have to drink and sustain their bad habits just to live.

Fortunately, there are ways around this. One of the most popular methods of beating a bad habit is to replace it for a better one. In this post, we’re going to take a look at how you can replace bad habits with better ones, and why it works!

Photo Credit

Finding Healthier Alternatives

Almost every bad habit consumes time and alters our body in some way. Whether it’s eating junk food, relying on alcohol, or smoking cigarettes, they all have healthier alternatives that can be used as a substitute for a bad habit. Many people believe that this doesn’t work, but the golden rule to remember is that cutting down on something is the only way to gradually train your mind and body to get rid of a bad habit. This is how people free themselves from serious addictions and it avoids the danger of going completely cold turkey. Which, in some cases, could be dangerous to the body.

It’s important to first understand what alternatives are available. For example, if you’re a heavy smoker, then finding a solution such as Blazed Vapes can be a worthwhile investment. It functions similarly to a cigarette, it’s not as harmful, and can be a step towards freeing yourself from the bad habit of consuming nicotine.

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The Fear of Relapsing

One of the biggest concerns people have when trying to break a habit is relapsing. You’re not alone. Relapses are actually fairly common. In fact, most smokers try several attempts at quitting before they finally make any progress, and the same counts for any other bad habit. Seek support when trying to quit; it could make all the difference.

It all comes down to recognizing why you want to break those bad habits, what you plan to do in order to do so, and figuring out what makes you fall back into it. For instance, if you’re an emotional eater that has slowly made progress to cut down on excessive snacking, then you might eventually discover what triggers you to start eating unnecessary amounts of food. It could be something to do with your mood or even a physical issue. I’ve found it tends to be due to boredom, especially while watching TV.

In short, while replacing bad habits with better ones does work to overcome that habit, keep in mind the reasoning behind why you want to break a bad habit and what you can do in order to prevent yourself from relapsing. It’s all about being mindful.

What bad habits are you trying to break? If you’ve been successful, what helped you? Comment below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading! Find me on Instagram to keep in touch.

Lifestyle

How to Deal with Poor Body Confidence Issues

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Having a negative body image can have a huge impact on you emotionally. You may find that you focus on having the perfect body so much that you set unrealistic goals, and that you also find it hard to feel confident in yourself, too. If you want to help yourself, then there are a few things that you can do to try and rectify the issues that you are having.

Fake It Until You Make it

Confidence is very attractive. If you love the way that you look, then other people will, too. Ditching your negative mindset can seem impossible at times; if you want to get around this, then maybe to try and fake it. When you catch yourself in the mirror, don’t pick up on every single flaw. Instead, tell yourself that you are stunning. When you do this, you will eventually feel more confident and you will also be able to break those bad habits that you have developed. It’s tough, but it’s possible!

https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-woman-looking-upright-standing-against-yellow-wall-1536619/

Be Your Best Friend

When your inner voice starts to tell you that you don’t look good, try and quiet that voice. Talk to yourself like you would your best friend, and try and give yourself the respect that you truly deserve! You deserve better, and the sooner you understand this, the more confident you will feel about your own body image.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photography-of-group-of-people-jumping-during-golden-time-1000445/

Trade Negative for Positive

If your family members always have something negative to say, then stay clear of them. Surround yourself with people who are able to support you and who want the best for you. People who say nasty comments about other people are usually massively insecure, and they need to say those things just to make themselves feel better. Ditching people can be difficult, but if you can, you need to push yourself, and you should also try to socialize. This will help you to connect with new people who really want the best for you, and sometimes, this is exactly what you need!

Exercise

Exercise is scientifically proven to boost your mood. When those endorphins kick in, you will soon find that there is no room for low self-esteem. The hard part is staying motivated. If you can, it helps to sign up with a personal trainer so that they can talk you through the exercises you need to do in order to change certain parts of your body. You can also sign up with The Club Fitness facilities as they can help you to really get in shape.

Express Yourself

When you have very low self-esteem it can be very easy to fall into the habit of wearing clothes that hide your body. It can also make it harder for you to wear your fave outfits. If you want to help yourself, then don’t shy away from clothes that make you feel good just because they aren’t trendy or fashionable. You should try and avoid covering yourself up! I know I need to be better at this, especially when it’s 100+° F in Las Vegas.

Another thing I do to combat my poor self-esteem is attend therapy. It really helps to simply talk it out.

•How do you combat negative talk and self-esteem? Please share below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health Lifestyle

Exciting Steps Towards Your Future

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The future is something you really do think about every single day, or it’s something that you barely give two thoughts to. Whichever category you fall into, there’s a big difference between thinking about it a little or a lot, and actually doing something towards it. It’s all well and good thinking that you have all of the time in the world, but do you actually? Life is passing up by at an alarming rate, and as the years go on and on, and the birthdays pass by and by, you start to realise just how quick life is passing by. So, we’re going to try and help you take some exciting steps towards your future, because we know how quick the future is running towards us. So, keep on reading, and see if we can help you take some super exciting steps towards your own future!

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Thinking About Family

Family is something really big to think about. When the time comes that you are thinking about your own family, times can actually get a little stressful. You have to wonder whether it’s going to be the right time, whether your finances are going to cope, and how long it’s even going to take you to fall pregnant. But for some of you, even that won’t be as easy as they make it out to be in the movies. Some of you might be desperate to start your own family, but might not be able to naturally. If this is the case, thinking about a fertility medication list might be what you need to do. There are so many experts in this world that could really help you out as well. But if you know having a dream is your family, you should never give up until you get your dream in life! Just make sure that if you are planning on falling pregnant any time soon, that you really make sure your finances are in order.

Ticking Things Off A List

There are many things that you’ll want to tick off an imaginary list over the years, but you’ll probably never get round to doing it. So what you need to do, is make a real list of everything that you want to do in life, and take some steps towards doing them. So if you’ve always wanted to run the marathon, stop putting it off and start the training. Or if you’ve wanted to learn another language, there’s no time like the present to start trying. All you have to do is create a real list, and start following it as the years go on!

Bettering Yourself

There’s no time like the present to start bettering yourself, because there’s no one like yourself that you should be putting attention into. One area that we know a lot of people can better themselves in, is with their job. So many of you will be unhappy with your jobs, hating life, and wishing you could have something different. But you really could have something different, if you only take a leap of faith and try finding it!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Lifestyle

Do You Collapse In A Crisis?

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Most of us would probably like to say that we were pretty good in any kind of crisis situation. After all, the idea of being the one person who’s able to keep their head when everyone else is losing there’s is a pretty nice idea. However, it’s fair to say that most of us are probably not quite as composed under pressure as we would like to think. Which raises the question, if you are normally the kind of person who totally crumbles when they’re in a crisis, what can you do in order to deal with those kinds of things more effectively? With that in mind, here are some things that you can do in order to stop yourself from collapsing when everything goes wrong.

 

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Think in Practical Terms

 

One of the best things that you can possibly do when it comes to taking a lot of stress and panic out of any kind of crisis is to stop thinking about it in terms of emotions entirely. Instead, think about it in purely practical terms where possible. Think of any kind of crisis as a problem with a solution, rather than something awful happening to you. If you’re in an accident, then think about things like insurance claims, hiring attorneys, and getting justice instead of focusing on how unfair it was that this happened to you. The same applies to everything from getting fired to getting sick. If you can think about the practical stuff and deal with that first, you’ll have a whole lot less emotional fallout to worry about.

 

 

Take Your Time

 

One of the most common instincts, when things go wrong, is to run around trying to fix it as quickly as possible. Now, dealing with things right away is a good thing, but if you’re getting to the point where you’re running around trying to put out all of the fires at once, you’re just going to end up causing yourself far more stress and upset that is unnecessary. Take your time and think things through before you dive in.

 

 

Ask for Help

 

As much as it would be nice to say that you’re the kind of person who can deal with any problem on their own, you really don’t need to. The truth is that there are always going to be people out there who are willing to lend you a hand when you need it most. From friends and family, to trained professionals, there really is no need for you to try and take everything onto your own shoulders.

 

The truth is that there will always be times when something will come out of nowhere and send you reeling, that’s just the nature of the world that we live in. However, if you can understand the right ways to deal with emergencies and crises, then you’re going to be far less likely to end up panicked and confused when things go wrong. Just remember that for every problem, there is a solution. You just have to be able to find it.

 

Thank you for reading!

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Lifestyle

Attending College In Your 30s: Pros & Cons

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By the time you reach your 30s, the general societal expectation is that your career path will be reasonably well-established. You’ll (probably) have worked your way through entry-level jobs, will have decided on a future path within the same industry, and *essentially* you’re set for life.

 

Yet, despite this established norm, more and more people are finding that a single career, in a single niche, does not necessarily suit their requirements. For those struggling with this issue, the idea of a career change is tempting – but there is one, significant hitch: in order to change careers, they may have to obtain a college degree first, either for the first time, or to replace their existing degree.

 

Pexels / CC0 Licence

If you have found yourself wanting to change your career, but have also paused at the idea of obtaining a college degree, you can find yourself stuck, wondering if doing so would be the right choice. To help you make the right decision, below we’ve put together a list of pros and cons you may want to consider!

 

Pro: Re-entering education demonstrates initiative to prospective future employers

 

Some people worry that attending university in their 30s is a red flag for future employers in their new niche. They fear that they will be perceived as ‘flaky,’ or that the fact that they did not pursue that specific niche at the start of their career will be a black mark against them.

 

However, these concerns tend to be unfounded – and in fact, you deciding to switch careers and re-enter education can be an asset. After all, such a major change is difficult, therefore you would have already demonstrated that you genuinely do want to work in your new field – which should play very well with employers.

 

Con: College is Expensive

 

Pixabay / CC0 Licence

 

Unfortunately, it is impossible to mention the idea of attending a university without discussing arguably the biggest downside: you will have to fund your studies. While the program itself may be covered by a loan, grant, or scholarship, you will still need to fund your living expenses for the duration of your studies.

 

In order to do so, you will likely need to continue working, at least on a part-time basis. If you are looking to return to college in order to move on from your existing career, and is the main motivator in your decision to return to college, the idea of sticking it out in your current job may not be particularly welcome. However, it’s likely to be the most sensible choice for your finances. Alternatively, you could leave your day job and take on a part-time job or side hustle in order to cover your expenses, if you can make that work.

 

PRO: You’ll have an opportunity to switch careers to a (relatively) newfound passion

 

For most people, the decision regarding what they *think* they will do for the rest of their lives is made at the age of 18, which can be problematic. As people age, their passions and interests change, but their career remains fairly static, glued to choices they made 10, 20, or even 30 years ago. At 18, I wanted to be a journalist for a magazine in New York. Now, at age 30, I’m a freelance writer (okay, same idea), blogger/influencer, and nanny/tutor. Oh, and I also do consulting work for a small consulting company. Is it obvious I can’t choose one career path?! 😉

 

By attending college in your 30s, you essentially have the chance to start over and embrace a new passion. Perhaps the revamped Cosmos led to a fascination with astronomy and cosmology that is conducive to studying at Cornell; maybe the current focus on mental health and well-being has led you to consider psychiatry and want to learn from Cynthia Telles UCLA training programs; or perhaps you’ve come to realize you’re a natural born writer and thus arts-focused universities such at Northwestern could be the right choice. Whatever the subject, there’s sure to be a specialist program that can nurture your newfound interests. By pursuing these programs, you can begin the journey to a career that focuses on what matters to you as an adult, rather than being influenced by choices you made as a teenager.

 

Con: You may find it takes a while to adjust to a university schedule

 

Pixabay / CC0 Licence

 

Throughout your working life thus far, you have almost certainly become accustomed to a certain schedule. The rhythm of working life is comfortable and familiar; you’ve known what hours you will work, what you need to do while at work, and what time you’ll be home.

 

Attending college, however, will throw all of the above into chaos. You’ll have a new, very different, schedule to adapt to. While some elements of that schedule will be relatively comfortable – for example, swapping attending work every day for attending classes – others, such as working late into the night to finish an essay, will not be. As a result, you may find that the early months of your courses are extremely challenging.

 

The good news, however, is that you will adapt given time – it’s just important to be aware that the initial period may be something of a shock to the system.

 

Pro: You’ll be on the right path to a happier future

 

Finally, a truth that cannot be ignored: by choosing to obtain a new college degree, you’re setting yourself on the path to a better life in the future.

 

While attending college in your 30s and revamping your entire career is undoubtedly a risk, it’s a risk that you’ll stand to benefit from for the next 30 years. In the grand scheme of your career, being in your 30s means you’ve barely scratched the halfway point, given that the median age of retirement is 62 years old. Even if you’re 39 and won’t qualify in your new career for four years, you’re still looking at nearly two decades worth of work. Logic suggests that if you’re unhappy now, and hankering for a change, you’ll be even more unhappy in 5, 10, or 15 years.

 

Simply put: by working towards a new degree and career, you are all the more likely to enjoy the rest of your working life, which could easily span 20 more years.

 

Pexels / CC0 Licence

 

Hopefully, the above pros and cons of attending college in your 30s will empower you to make a fully-informed decision as to whether such a choice is the right one for you. Good luck!!

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