I remember seeing a beautiful woman’s 30th birthday Instagram post. Her brown skin was glistening on a picturesque beach; and she held 3 and 0 shaped balloons in each of her manicured hands. I wistfully tapped on the “like” thinking “I wish I was 30 again.” I was 31, but 30 sounded so much better, more youthful. I the gag is…I was just dreading my 30th birthday just a few years ago.

On the day after I turned 26, I started to lament the fact that I was closer to 30 than 20. In mind, 30 might as well have been 105…and I was going through it emotionally. My biological clock was incessantly ticking, and hadn’t even “figured out” my life’s purpose. I wasn’t dating anyone, and there were no prospects in sight. I needed to be married and making six figures by the time I’m 30; and I only had four years to make it happen.

Well, six years have gone by. I’m not married; and I’m studying for the bar—which, in case you were wondering, doesn’t pay six figures. I’m 32 and, (surprise, surprise) 31 sounds like a much better age. Next year at 33, I’ll probably feel the same about 32. I recently decided that it’s time to change this stifling way of thinking. For some reason, we as a society have been taught that the clock stops ticking after the age of 30. That’s simply not the case.

I’m 32 and currently in my building phase. Although this is not what I imagined my 30s to look like, I realize the importance of forging my own path, separate from societal expectations. There’s plenty of life ahead of me. This was true when I was 22, and it’s still true now. As long as I am learning new things everyday, this can be true at any age.

I’m a thirty-something embarking upon a new career, new friendships, and new experiences. I’m “figuring it out” everyday. For that reason, I’m young. If you are even remotely similar…so are you.