Sarala Life — Life in Chapters: Careers, Canines, Cabernet & Courage

If I could pour a glass for my 30-year-old self…

I’d tell her to sit still for a second — really sit. Stop running after timelines and people who don’t have the emotional capacity to meet you where you are. Pour the wine slowly. Let it breathe. Because one day, you’ll realize that the best parts of your life weren’t in the noise or the milestones — they were in the quiet spaces you kept rushing through.

And if she’d listen (really listen), here’s what I’d tell her:

💫 You don’t need to be liked to be loved.

Being liked is a moving target — it changes with opinions, rooms, moods. Love, real love, doesn’t demand a performance. It sees you in your truth — messy, tired, resilient — and stays.

🕯 It’s okay to disappoint people.

Disappointing others is inevitable; disappointing yourself is optional. You can’t live your life trying to keep everyone comfortable — not when it costs you your peace. Let “no” be your full sentence when you need it to be.

🔥 People will anger and frustrate you — that’s on them.

Stop expecting emotional maturity from people who haven’t done their work. Their reactions are not your responsibility. Sometimes you have to walk away without explanation — silence is its own boundary.

💃 Stop focusing on being skinny to feel pretty.

Beauty was never about the inches on your waist; it was about the depth of your energy. Feed yourself — with food, with joy, with laughter. The mirror doesn’t define you; your light does.

🕰 Don’t get lost in other people’s urgency.

Everyone will have opinions about your pace, your choices, your “should-haves.” Don’t borrow their anxiety. Trust your own timing — it’s divine, even when it feels delayed.

🧠 Don’t fall for false authenticity.

Not everyone preaching vulnerability practices it. Listen for consistency, not captions. The loudest “real” people often hide the deepest masks.

💌 Trust purposefully, not automatically.

Your heart is kind — that’s beautiful. But discernment is not cynicism. Everyone deserves kindness; not everyone deserves access.

🌸 Believe you’re enough — because you always were.

You don’t have to earn worthiness. You were born with it. Stop chasing validation that dilutes your voice.

🌙 Don’t let other people’s insecurities shrink you.

Dimmed lights don’t make others shine brighter. Stand tall in your strength, your opinions, your softness. You are not too much — they’re just not ready.

⚖️ Trust that those who do wrong will be dealt with.

You don’t have to carry the burden of karma. Life has a way of balancing its own scales — you just keep your integrity intact.

🪶 Don’t carry shame like a badge of honor.

You don’t have to be the one who always “learned the hard way.” Forgive yourself for the years you tried to fix everything by over-giving. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting; it means releasing.

⏰ Make and take time for yourself.

You can’t pour from an empty glass — not even a cabernet one. Rest isn’t laziness; it’s preservation.

🗣 Communicate your needs.

The people meant for you will make space to listen. Silence isn’t strength when it suffocates you. Speak — even if your voice shakes.

😂 Laugh more.

Life isn’t a to-do list. Laugh until your stomach hurts. Laugh at the irony, the chaos, the things that didn’t go as planned.

❤️ Love yourself — without conditions.

You’ve spent years giving love away like it was a reward to be earned. Turn some of it inward. You are the longest relationship you’ll ever have.

🍰 Eat the cake.

Literally and metaphorically. Celebrate more, guilt less. Take the photo, drink the wine, book the trip. Joy isn’t indulgent — it’s essential.

If I could pour a glass for my 30-year-old self, I’d raise it high — to the woman she was, to the lessons she learned the hard way, and to the one she became: grounded, grateful, and finally at peace with not having it all figured out.

Because it turns out, she didn’t need to. She just needed to be.

#CabernetAndConversations #LessonsInBecoming #FortyAndFlourishing #SaralaLife #WineAndWisdom #AuthenticLiving #WomenWhoReflect #ChaptersCareersCaninesAndCabernet

💋 Clue of the Week (About Me):
I used to think becoming meant adding more; now I know it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t me.

Saralalife.com celebrates the blend of chapters, careers, canines, and cabernet — the beautiful mess of living thoughtfully, courageously, and with heart.