30 Before 30: 30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30
Welp, the time has finally come–I am officially in the final year of my 20s! That’s right, the Borderline Millennial is 29 years old and pushing 30!
I don’t know who let this happen, but somehow I am about to be a woman in her 30s and I don’t know if I’m ready for that! Sure, I live in a big city, I’m married now, I have a Masters Degree, and I’m happy with my current job and career choice, but I feel like there’s so much left for me to do!
I, like many of you reading this, was somewhat robbed of half of my twenties because of COVID-19. The Pandemic hit in the middle of me being 24 years old and didn’t really finish until I was around 27. And then, the few years after that, I felt like I was trying to catch up.
Over the last 2-3 years, I’ve felt so rushed! I’ve had an inescapable feeling that I’ve missed so much that I need to catch up and I need to make up for the years lost during the Pandemic. So, I’ve been keeping myself incredibly busy, and for lack of better terms, living my life to the fullest.
I bought a Disneyland Magic Key for a year and spent countless hours treading Main Street and taking pictures with Mickey Mouse dressed in different outfits. I used my AMC A-List account so many times I think I’m a shareholder now. I planned an entire wedding with my now-husband over the course of 23-months and that took up about 80% of my brain for the past two years. And then in between all that, I’ve hosted brunches for friends, visited my family up and down California, wrote a children’s book with my besties, and traveled to Mexico, Sweden, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, and many more places, among many other things.
Needless to say, I’ve been keeping myself incredibly busy!
I’d be failing myself if I didn’t acknowledge the incredible privilege I have to even be able to say I’ve done all of those things in the past three years alone, so trust me, I know I am blessed to have these experiences. I would also be failing myself if I didn’t make mention that the past three years weren’t completely sunshine and rainbows. My family, my friends, and I have all faced some unfathomable storms, hardships, losses, and downright tragedies. Some I didn’t think I would ever get past or through (I mean, I once made my therapist cry retelling some tragic life events, that’s got to tell you something right there, doesn’t it?).
But all that to say, the back half of my twenties has been a whirlwind of major life events, emotions, happenings, and all the feels. So, in my 29th year, I really want to take some time to slow down (just a bit) and focus on rediscovering myself and setting up my next decade of life.
My twenties have brought me so many things and I can only imagine what more my thirties will bring me. It’s the decade I hope to really settle into adulthood– living my best married life, honing my skills as a career woman, starting a family, buying a home, and taking strides to solidify the woman I want to be.
But that all won’t just happen because I wish for it to.
In my twenties, I learned many lessons, but one lesson I knew going into my twenties, but really began to understand now that I’m at the end of my twenties is that closed mouths don’t get fed, and neither do clean hands.
Meaning, if there’s something you need or want out of life, you can’t just sit there and expect it to happen by doing nothing. You either have to ask for it or work for it. Asking for help, asking for clarification, and asking for guidance are all things I’ve learned to ask for in my twenties. My degree, my position at work, my relationships, my forward progression with my mental health, and my health and fitness achievements, are just a handful of things I’ve had to work incredibly hard for in my twenties.
This is a mindset I’ve come to adopt and plan to carry on into my 30s. With that being said, it should come as no surprise that in order to set myself up for an incredible third decade, I’ve decided to join in on the 30 Before 30 trend. After assessing what I want for the end of my twenties and the beginning of my thirties, I’ve devised a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30. I did so with a few parameters for my tasks:
Realistic and Achievable – so many lists I researched had “travel the world” or “run a marathon” on them, and while those are fun for people who have the means and the endurance to do so, those aren’t very realistic tasks for me.
Specific to Me – I thought about making a general list of fun things that anyone can do before they turn 30, but I remembered who I was doing this for and decided to make my list specific to me. That doesn’t mean you can’t be inspired by something I’m doing, but it does mean you shouldn’t judge me for anything on my list because it’s about me and only me.
Cost Effective – I could have easily put “fly first class to Australia” or “buy my dream car” on this list, but that would be outrageous and way outside my yearly budget. One of my goals is to become more financially literate, so I needed to include items on my list that fit within my budget and my fiscal means.
Well-Rounded – I didn’t want my list to be one-note, so I made sure that the tasks spanned across categories like personal well-being, health & wellness, relationships, education, travel, etc. I need to grow in all aspects of my life and not focus on just one.
Those are my four rules for creating this list, and I feel like I’ve kept you waiting long enough so without further ado, and in no particular order, here is my 30 Before 30 list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.
30 Before 30
Go to a concert in a different state
Get through my books on my TBR cart
Reach my goal fitness and health level
Move to a new, walkable neighborhood
Find a local fitness class or recreational sports league and really get into it!
Learn (real) self-defense
Find a signature scent
Create a financial plan for the next 5 years
Watch Sex & the City in its entirety
Attempt to get on a game show/reality show
Nail down my perfect daily, weekly, and monthly skincare routine
Visit family who I keep saying, “I’ll come visit soon” but soon hasn’t happened yet
Rebuild my wardrobe with an updated style
Go on a multi-state road trip with my husband
Get another tattoo
Learn how to do Tarot Readings
Clear through & sort all of the photos and videos on my phone
Take a camping trip
Go on a girl’s trip
Figure out my signature drink order at a bar
Have a solo photoshoot
Develop & Perfect a signature dish
Create a Vision Board for my 30s
Film and document my parents’ life stories
Travel to Canada
Sing at karaoke
Stay at an iconic (Los Angeles) hotel
Get an OBG/YN + Gynecologist
Select a cause to be passionate about
Make big moves to reach my career goals