I never used to understand the saying ‘youth is wasted on the young’. Now I do. When I was young, I lacked confidence and wasted so much energy on what other people thought, so didn’t necessarily make the most of that youthful energy in every way that I could or should have done.

Today, at the age of forty, I really couldn’t care less what anyone thinks of me-life has taught me that there is always going to be an opinion, or ten, on what you do in your daily life but these opinions are as relevant as a speck of dust to the grand scheme of things. When younger, I did care too much about what others thought but now have no hoots to give which is refreshing.

Getting older also means dealing with life in general. No life is always easy-everyone has rough times and dealing with these, getting through them and enjoying life afterwards gives you a certain strength you never thought you had, which gives (at least for me) a confidence that I never knew I could have. This is also rather refreshing-being young was not my happy place!