It’s Time to Do This After You Turn 30
I feel like a lot of people dread turning 30, which is such a shame. Your 30s can be much more exciting and fulfilling than your 20s, and I rarely (if ever) hear people say they were happier when they were younger. I for sure wasn’t.
I spent my 30th birthday in Malibu, on Zuma Beach to be exact, and I remember the feeling of excitement when I sat on the sand, looking at the ocean. Turning 30 felt like a new beginning and the new decade in front of me seemed to come with endless opportunities.
And you know what’s the best part of being 30? It’s that you’re so much more confident and unbothered, and you are capable of so much more than you were in your 20s. Not to mention you also understand life and yourself much better. That’s a recipe for magic, if you ask me.
First of all, your 30s are awesome
I honestly want you to feel blessed and happy to be in your thirties. I want you to feel young because that’s what you are.
Some people like to claim that 35 or 40 is middle age and half your life is behind you, but that’s just wrong! You can’t even remember the first years of your life, and you have very little freedom when you’re underage.
In my opinion, life starts at 20, and if you lead a good, healthy life, you could very well live into your 90s. That means that when you turn 30, you’ve only lived about 14% of your life. That’s how I like to see it anyway.
And anyway, if you look back at your life so far, and everything you’ve ever gotten to experience, doesn’t it excite you that you have at least that much time still in front of you?
People like to say time flies and the 90s were only yesterday. And while in a way it’s true, at the same time, it was a long time ago and I know A LOT has happened to you since then.
If you spend your time well and actually live your life instead of spending your days just by going to work and watching TV, I promise you’ll have enough time for everything you want to do.
You still need to respect time
While you do have plenty of time ahead of you, you still shouldn’t waste it. When you’re in your 30s, the time for randomly trying new things is over and you have to be more conscientious about how you spend your time.
You need to choose how you want to spend your life, even if you’re not 100% sure. Dare to make decisions and sacrifice things that aren’t essential.
For instance, I myself don’t study new languages anymore. It’s not because I wouldn’t want to, but because I know I don’t actually need them for anything, so it’s best to spend those hours on something that makes a difference. I just don’t have time to dabble anymore.
By this I don’t mean that you shouldn’t do anything just for fun or never try new things. Far from it. But I want you to really consider them first.
Would you absolutely love spending a year backpacking Southern Asia? Do it, it’s life at its best!
Did you see an ad for a Mediterranean cooking class and it sounds kind of interesting? Do it, that’s one of those fun little experiences that make everyday life more fun.
Have you always dreamed of studying in a specific country or getting another degree? If you don’t see a specific use for the degree, then don’t spend your time on it. I myself always wanted to study in the UK, but now it simply makes no sense to spend a year or two and thousands of pounds on a degree I don’t even need.
Is everyone talking about a TV show or a movie that doesn’t interest you? Skip it, you don’t need to know what they are talking about, and people will forget about it soon enough anyway.
100+ Life Goal Ideas!
Do you want to make your life a bit more fun? Or aim higher in your career? This little freebie will help you with that!
You’ll get plenty of life goal ideas that range from creative to productive, and from ambitious to easy.
It’s time to know who you are and what you want
By this, I don’t mean that you should have absolutely everything figured out. You’ve still got a lot of life left, and who knows, you might be a very different person when you’re 50 or perhaps you’ll go on a new career path when you’re 60. You might start a new business or move to a new country then.
But at this point, you’ve already learned a lot about yourself. You’re starting to have a pretty good idea of what kind of things you enjoy and what kind of life feels right for you. Respect your own truth and stop doing things just because others are doing them or because they sound kind of cool.
If you don’t want to own a house, don’t buy one. If you don’t want a 9 to 5, come up with something else. If you don’t really enjoy social gatherings, just don’t go.
Don’t wait till you’re 70 to finally start living your life on your own terms.
And while I’m saying that you have enough time for everything, I still want you to keep in mind that you don’t have time to waste. Years will fly by if you don’t spend your time well.
Exercise
1. Take a pen and paper and list all the things that you have dreamed of or thought about doing, at least on some level.
2. Then go through your list one by one and cross off things that aren’t really for you, wouldn’t make you happy, or wouldn’t benefit you in a meaningful way.
What you have left is what matters. Those are the things you should spend time on. And maybe you’ll even have space to come up with some new ideas! How does that cooking class sound?
Dare to live your life to the fullest
I hope this post inspires you to reflect on your life, let go of dreams and ideas that aren’t for you, and make more time for things that actually matter to you.
You don’t need to do what everyone else does, and you have every right to make your own decisions, no matter how crazy they sound to others (or even to you). If you already know what you want, don’t spend years just thinking about it. You need to take action, or else you’ll suddenly be 45 and you still haven’t made your dreams come true.
Believe in yourself, and never doubt your ability to make things happen!
I hope that your 30s will be wonderful and full of exciting surprises!
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