16 Women Talk About Why Their Lives Are Better Now That They're In Their Thirties

In your thirties, you can face things that may have seemed out of reach in your twenties, and you learn to truly take care of yourself and to love your daily routine. Try Olay for skin care that understands you and your skin, no matter your age.

We recently asked women from the BuzzFeed Community to tell us why being in their thirties is actually awesome. Here's what they shared.

1. Feeling confident in quite literally your own skin is the greatest gift you can give to yourself.

NBC

"Go out makeup-less? Check. Going out alone, not caring if I look like a lone weirdo? Check. It’s taken me 33 years, but by now I’m beginning to feel more at peace with who I am as a woman, an individual, a mother...a human in general."

—lisad25

2. Taking a leap of faith in yourself to start over can make you feel invincible.

"I was never the cool kid. Never really had any friends growing up either. Moving away when I graduated was the best thing I ever did. I got to start over, make new friends, and enjoy my twenties. Now that I’m married with a 2-year-old, I find myself loving my thirties way more than I thought I would. I am more comfortable in my own skin. I feel like I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. My body has come into its own. I feel confident, something I never felt in my teens or twenties. When you know who you are as an individual, nothing can stop you. That’s what your thirties feels like."

—sandra1985

3. Celebrating yourself is key in realizing your self-worth.

HBO

"I dreaded 30 because I hadn’t checked off all of my to-dos, but it’s honestly been the best decade of my life so far. Maturity has made me accept my faults, celebrate my strengths, and realize that you’re as old as you feel. I finally feel comfortable as the person I was all along, and I wish I’d spent my twenties feeling this strong."

—samantham49

4. Having the ability to turn an unplanned life event into something extremely positive.

"I’m not where I thought I would be: divorced and a single mom. But I am strong and believe in myself and don’t care about what anyone else thinks. When I was a twentysomething, it was always about what she would think or what they would think. Now it’s what I think, and I think I’m bossing it."

—jessiemoskovitzp

5. Learning the power behind simply saying "no."

NBC

"Not being afraid to say 'no!' No to people that try to take advantage of me, no to social outings I don’t want to go to, no to my own negative thoughts, etc. I became more empowered and took ownership of my life after I turned 30."

—mrsnikkibehrens

6. Understanding how rewarding it can be to take time to reflect and check in with yourself.

"I really dreaded turning 30, but now that I’m two years in I’m not afraid to ask for what I want, whether it’s a raise at work or a clean glass at a restaurant. I’m not afraid to put myself out there, and I’m in the best relationship of my life. I’m not afraid to cut people out if I need to; I apologize more and am more willing to admit when I’m wrong. Seriously, turning 30 can be daunting, but if you just sit back and get to know yourself after that first year it’s all cake!"

—whitneye

7. Putting yourself first can help you sift through the nonsense.

NBC

"I'm about to turn 32: I filter what I say less, I put myself first more, and I cultivate and maintain healthy friendships and don’t bother with toxic ones."

—heatherl48707a22c

8. Learning that the next decade is really just an exciting new chapter.

"Your thirties are the teen years of adulthood. You know what you want, but you know what you have, so there's a lot more action and less planning. Twenty-nine doesn't feel great because you keep thinking about all the stuff you didn't do, but once that ZERO is at the end of your age, it's a whole new beginning."

—maebradley2

9. Freeing yourself from the trap of past worries.

Disney

"Being 30 was scary. But now, at 33, I feel free. Free from the trappings of a decade that brought a lot of caring about what others thought rather than what I needed. I’m no longer afraid to stand up for what I want in my career, in my friendships, or in relationships. I also no longer feel like a loser for loving an early bedtime."

—caraleighf

10. Realizing that life is not about playing catch-up, but, rather, going at your own comfortable pace.

"I cried months leading up to my 30th birthday. I felt like I was so behind from everyone else around me. I wasn’t married, didn’t own a house, or have kids. Now I’m 33 still not married, don't own a house, or have kids, and I'm OK with it. Your thirties are about being OK with where you are in life. I'm more comfortable with who I am now more than I was ever in my twenties. I think it’s because I'm confident on where I am and not worrying about catching up to everyone else."

—jade8085

11. Achieving peace of mind through a sense of gratitude.

VH1

"I’ve come to love and appreciate my body in a way I didn’t think was possible — I’m grateful it works, and I’m grateful it’s mine."

—pilard3

12. Finally feeling like you're on the correct path in the pursuit of happiness.

"Being able to speak my mind, pursue my interests, dress my body, do my hair and makeup just to please myself and nobody else is amazing, and I’m blessed to finally have the confidence and sense of self I do now. I LOVE who I am, love where I’m going with my life, and I feel powerful."

—catherinecarat

13. Taking life lessons and putting them into motion.

FOX

"Your thirties are great because you’ve spent the last 10 years in your twenties getting to know yourself and decide what you want and what you will not accept. You’ve ditched the 'friends' who give you nothing but grief, doubled-down on the ones who add to your life. You have more of a sense of what you want out of life career- and family-wise, and you also have the confidence to go after it. Your twenties are about building yourself up; your thirties are about building your empire."

—lilys10

14. Understanding how to take better care of yourself.

"My diet is much healthier. I don’t even remember the last time dinner consisted of beer and a doughnut. It was much easier to adopt healthy eating habits than I once thought!"

—nadineilanas

15. Realizing your voice matters.

VH1

"After hitting my thirties, I no longer have the patience for petty drama and gossip. I've also felt more free about expressing my opinions and calling out wrongs/inequalities when I see them. It's a work in progress because I've never liked confrontation, but I'm figuring out how to use my voice for good."

—jcjchc13

16. Challenging yourself to conquer your fears.

"I’m 32, and so far my thirties have been way more amazing than my twenties. I understand myself deeply as a person, and I accept the things about myself that I used to hate. I have so much more confidence because I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I don’t care what everyone thinks about me, and that is an amazing sort of freedom. I have made more friends, changed my career drastically, and had the courage to do the things that intimidate me. I was an insecure, desperate-to-be-liked girl in my twenties. Now I’m a woman who is confident in who she is and what she wants."

—annabelle86

Note: Submissions have been edited for length, clarity, and spelling.

At the end of the day, age is but a number; feel confident, feel strong, feel like, well, YOU. Olay is encouraging women to be fearless and empowering them to be comfortable in their own skin. Join the movement in feeling radiant inside and out.