30 Before 30: Revisited
No, it’s not my birthday. No, I haven’t recently turned 30. But… In light of a lot of recent realizations I’ve made about what it means to be successful – and what it means to enter a new decade in your life – I think it’s probably time to revisit my 30 Before 30 list. Here’s where I get to expand on my successes and alter the list as I see fit. In bold are the ones I have done.
Write a book– You already know why I probably won’t be accomplishing this, and I’m OK with that.- Visit San Fransisco – Done!
- Buy a house – Done!
- Learn to scrapbook – Done! Kind of! Well, done enough!
- Host a holiday meal – Done! I hosted my family for Good Friday last year!
Listen to all of albums on my iPod– Seriously, who has time for this with all the great new music out there?- Visit Ireland – OK, this I still want to do.
- (Maybe a sub-goal of #7) Visit Dublin on Bloomsday – This too.
- Visit France… again – Yup. Still want to do this.
- Visit Barcelona, Spain – Can you see traveling is a big goal of mine?
- Publish a book (or at least give it a good try) – I count this as done. I gave it a good try.
- Get a dog – DONE! And she is awesome.
- Teach a course at a university or community college – I still think this would be fun, though it isn’t the ultimate sign of success as a teacher as I once thought it was.
Attend another English conference– Eh. English conferences are cool. Conferences in general are way cool, and I’ve done a few of those. So, altered and done.- Read 50 books (for pleasure) – I’m getting there. Kind of.
Make it to State for Contest Play– I quit doing Contest Play. And I’m a-OK with that.- Watch 20 films I’ve never seen before – I really stopped counting this. It’s probably done.
- See 5 plays or musicals – With all the plays I saw and read for Contest Play this year, this is done.
Take a creative writing class– Why do I need a creative writing class? I have a specialization in Creative Writing from a great university.- Re-learn French. Or learn Spanish. – This would still be very useful.
- Learn more about wine and wine and food pairings – DONE!
- Attend a multi-course wine dinner – DONE!
- Host a multi-course wine dinner – This would be really fun!
- Clean out the guest room closet/boxes of files – Done. And we moved, so it’s a moot point.
- Actually walk ALL 39.3 miles in the Avon Walk (and train for it!) – I’d still like to do this.
- Get some artwork for the walls of our home – DONE! It still counts if I make it, right?
- Buy a real couch – DONE! And I love it.
Get Tim to try Indian food (yummy!!!)– This will just be impossible, I think.Begin to collect and edit personal essays for my second book– Again, I tried.- Organize my jewelry – DONE!
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. And I’m only 28!
Here are some things I have done that aren’t even on the list:
- I’m in Boston right now.
- I taught a group of amazingly bright students last year. They wrote quest papers for me that made me realize why I do what I do.
- I’ve made fantastic connections with wonderful people on both professional and personal levels.
- I’ve thinned out my commitments in an effort to be able to focus on what really matters in life.
- I’m happy. And isn’t that really the most important?
Do you have a 30 Before 30 list? How are you doing? Do you find your goals have changed since you made the list?
Photo Credit: Frosted with Emotion
As one of your older readers for whom 30 was a rather long time ago, I shall sit back and read others’ comments. You really have done well on your list!
My life at 28 was so different than yours! I was living in Boston (hope you are enjoying your stay!), playing in a band, and working as a magazine production manager. The early 1980s were like another world, and I was pretty much another person — driven creatively but also way too angry and alienated. But I survived. 🙂
Thanks Veronique! Boston was wonderful; we’re on our way back now!
I wonder how much the historical context might have on our life goals. I would think my goals, now, might be different because of the fact that the economy tanked and so many of my goals are financially related, reflecting my desire to save and be secure whereas the 80’s were more about breaking the mold, so were I 30 then, my goals might have been different. Interesting stuff!
I totally forgot you did this, and I love it. Now I’m inspired to make one, too! (Weirdly, I noticed that you made your list when you were 26.5…which I will be in August. Maybe it’s the magic age for making such lists? ;))
Carrie –
I definitely think that’s about the age where you start to realize that 30 is inevitable. 🙂 If you publish your list, let me know!