Over the last year, I spent a lot of time mourning the end of my twenties (stating many times that I’m not having any more birthdays) but, the truth is, I am so incredibly grateful for what the last decade has brought and genuinely excited about the chapter ahead.

The last few years of my twenties have been some of the best and most fulfilling of my life. It’s amazing to reflect on the amount of growth that I’ve experienced in [what feels like] such a short amount of time. I know that our twenties are a period of exploration, a time where we’re not totally sure of the people that we want to be or what we want to do with our lives. As exciting as those years are, there’s also a great deal of fear associated with them: fear of whether or not we’ll get into college, or whether we’ll find a job. Fear of whether we’ll be able to support ourselves on our own, or whether we’ll find the right person. Many of us, myself included, spend a lot of time worrying about whether we’re meeting others’ expectations and hang on to friendships and relationships that only bring us down.

As I’ve approached this milestone birthday, though, it’s become clear that I’m more sure of the person that I am and want to be, of the things that I want out of life, and of the kind of people that I want to surround myself with. It’s less important that I meet the expectations of others, and more important that I work to better myself to my standards.

So, as exciting and carefree as my twenties were, there’s something to be said for the next chapter, where I openly admit that I’d rather order a pizza and watch Netflix than go out to the bars on a Friday night. Who’s with me?