I challenged myself to complete a “Thirty Before Thirty” list, not surprisingly, for my thirtieth birthday. I’ve learned a few things since then, and am hoping that with this newfound wisdom these forty (mostly) new goals will be more achievable. I aimed to find a middle ground between too specific and too vague. I also tried to take into account my chronic illnesses and how they limit me, how little time a year and a half really offers, and which items made me excited to think about checking off. It was hard to avoid putting activities and goals on this list that don’t require money. So, I attempted to keep a nice balance of things that are essentially free to do, alongside items that range from moderately priced endeavors to a few that require a little bit of a splurge.
On my Thirty Before Thirty list, I included some very specific art projects that I wanted to finish, but one had already been on my to-do list for quite awhile, and I apparently didn’t consider there may have been a reason I never went back to it. No longer being inspired by an art project I started nearly a decade ago is, and was, a completely valid reason to not get super psyched about finishing it. Giving myself a deadline just wasn’t enough motivation to reignite the creative spark that died long ago along with the unfinished project. A few items were a tad too lofty given the amount of time I had to complete the list in. Then there were some that I left too open-ended, like feeling “better in my skin”. That is something that can vary from day to day, and while there are efforts I could take to make myself feel better in general, it was a little hard to check that box because I have always had a low opinion of my appearance. Did I really think that was going to be resolved in a year’s time?
Despite the aforementioned errors I made in limiting myself, not considering the amount of time allotted to accomplish the goals, wording some in a way that set me up for failure, along with an unexpected move, I put a decent dent in the list. I got roughly half-way through, and there are a couple I have checked off that were not completed before thirty but did fly in under forty. (I finally got my driver’s license at 36!) All that being said, I may be wiser than I was at thirty but I am sure I will still find some items on here that are harder to knock out of the park than I thought they would be. It will be a challenge, though, and I like challenging myself. One takeaway I always have from listing goals is discovering what is important to me. If making it all official and giving myself a deadline didn’t get it done, then maybe it’s not the priority I thought it was, and I can look closer at what I did make happen and maybe do those activities more often. (I love hanging with out with each of my kiddos, one-on-one, and have prioritized that still.)
I have plenty of goals, hopes and dreams but I (finally) narrowed them down to forty that I think will be challenging, but also fun and doable within the next year and a half or so before I say goodbye to my thirties.
So, without further ado, I present to you my I-probably-overthought-this-but-will-still-wish-I’d-spent-longer-thinking-on-it list, aka:
~My 40 Before 40~
Home Improvement
- Create an eclectic gallery wall (piano wall).
- Clean the birds on top of the cupboards/dust up there.
- Hang a peg-board wall in my art room to organize my most-often-used items.
- Create a garden wall/install a fence for the front flower bed.
- Replace our mailbox.
- Acquire a porch goose with outfits.
Food
- Bake V’s Sugar Cookies recipe.
- Bake the Icing Artist cake I paid for the lessons & recipe for!
- Make some (more) mochinut donuts.
- Find a no-mato sauce recipe that I actually like.
- Try a new restaurant/cafe.
- Try a fruit I haven’t tried before.
Arts & Crafts
- Finish the diamond painting I started.
- Complete an art/craft project on my to-do list.
- Paint a still life.
- Start my first Woobles kit (complete if possible).
Other Hobbies
- Read fifteen YA novels.
- Makeover my blog.
- Finish the Wings of Fire series.
- Collect a pastel Hotwheels/Matchbox car in every colour.
- Finish writing my book: The Hard Way.
- Create a photobook for my son.
- Plant something and help it grow.
Family Activities
- Stay in my pajamas, eat cereal and watch cartoons with the kids in the morning.
- Have an at-home spa day.
- Complete a new 1000 piece puzzle.
- Have a themed movie night.
- Have a picnic in the backyard.
- DM a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
- Go tobogganing/sledding with the kids.
- Get professional family photos done.
Travel
- Visit family and friends in Canada.
- Travel somewhere new.
Marriage
- Watch a new-to-us series with Raymond
- Do something special to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary.
- Create a plan, will etc. for if something happens to either me or Ray.
Faith
- Do a study of a book of the Bible.
- Renew & organize my prayer closet space (so I’ll actually use it).
Health (Physical & Mental)
39. Go on a walk/hike in nature.
40. Attempt to do my physical therapy exercises and stretches at least three times a week.
One thing is for certain, after trying to type this up on here and struggling with the formatting, I think number 18 is going to need to be a high priority if I want to blog more. I’ll keep you posted! ^_^
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