I cannot believe I turned 30 this month. Going into this year, I was confident I would be able to cross at least the majority of items off my 30 before 30 list.
But as we all know, 2020 has been a weird year…
I have an overwhelming need to always want to do more. No matter how much I do, I always feel like I could be doing more. So it was a bummer to feel like there was still so much left on my list that I wanted to accomplish.
That being said, as I reflect on things going into 30 + sip my silver tequila/soda water/lime juice over ice, I feel lucky that I’ve been able to do so much more than most at my age.
Financials:
Pay Off Student Loans
My student loans still haunt me. Luckily, I was able to pay off all but two of my student loans. Even though they’re not ALL paid off, I feel accomplished that I was able to get through the majority of them. My college was NOT cheap, so I’m proud here.
*In Progress
Pay Off Credit Cards
Once I started making a lot of money out of college, I developed crazy spending habits. More often than I like to admit, I was racking up my credit card bill just thinking that more money would come to me. One of the things I would tell my 25 year old self is to be just a LITTLE bit better with money. But, I was able (and very fortunate) to finally pay off my credit cards.
*Completed
Buy a House
Okay, this one was probably my loftiest goal. I thought it would be the biggest accomplishment to have a house by the time I was 30, but I live in Southern California and houses AIN’T cheap. I am still holding out hope that I might be able to cross this off my list by end of year, but we’ll see.
*Not Completed
Generate a 2nd Source of Income
Even though I am comfortable with my current job, I wanted to do something else that would generate a second revenue stream. I thought it would be great to have something else to fall back on, just in case. I had a few things in mind for this, but nothing I was able to get going in time.
*Not Completed
GET REAL ESTATE LICENSE
This was meant to go hand-in-hand with generating a second source of income. I was hoping to get my license so I could apply it to a few things within the real estate industry. I was pretty close to accomplishing this. I finished all three courses online, and was planning to take the actual RE Exam before May. I’m hoping I can still do this by the end of the year.
*In Progress
Treat Myself to an Expensive Item
There’s always been something so satisfying about buying myself things (particularly, nice things). For my 29th birthday, I decided I wanted to treat myself to a Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag. I decided I could put aside $50/paycheck and not even notice it was gone.
*Completed
MAke a certain amount of $ annually
I’ve had a number in mind of how much I wanted to make on an annual basis by the time I was 30. Since work has always been important to me, I’m very happy to say I hit that goal.
*Completed
Have a Certain Amount of $ in my Savings
Getting to my target annual salary was helpful in reaching this goal as well. Like I said, I developed a pretty crazy spending habit when I was out of college. It was important to me that I had money in my savings for long term purchases + “surprise” bills.
*Completed
Have a certain amount of $ in my 401K
When I graduated college, I remember I thought it was so lame my dad gave me money to invest in a Roth IRA. Like…I wanted a car or some fancy purse LOL. He said I would thank him down the line when my 401k grew, but I thought “Money will come later”. As I hit my mid-twenties, contributing to my 401k was really important, especially when I worked for companies who had a matching program. It was literally throwing money away if I didn’t contribute.
*Completed
Travel:
Take a Girls Spa Trip
Out of all the trips I’ve taken, I’ve never taken a solo girls trip that didn’t involve cramming as many girls in a room as possible. I decided an “adult” girls trip was necessary, preferably a trip that involved relaxing at a spa. Luckily, my girlfriends and I were able to squeeze in a trip to the Ojai Valley Inn before quarantine started. It was amazing and perfect for some much needed girl time.
*Completed
Visit Italy With Mom
Ever since I could remember, my mom has been OBSESSED with Italy. It was always her dream to go with us kids. My dad hated flying/traveling in general, so we never went growing up. As we got older, things just never worked out with our schedules, so it just never happened. Finally last year, my sister made the executive decision we were going no matter what. I’m so glad I got to experience Italy for the first time with my mom. It’s definitely one of the best memories.
*Completed
Take a spontaneous trip
My first trip to Europe was booked less than a month before we left. My friend was going to London on a work trip, and jokingly threw out that me and another friend should go. Even though it wasn’t, like, the day before, going to another continent for my first time and having a month to plan the trip was pretty spontaneous for my 24 year old self. I’m so glad I just went for it.
*Completed
Visit 4 Continents
Out of 7 continents, I’ve been lucky to have visited 4. If I had made this list earlier in my 20s, I would’ve definitely made this goal to visit all 7 continents. But since time was limited, I figured 4 was reasonable enough. I’m from North America, and I’ve visited Europe, Asia, and Australia so far.
*Completed
Visit 15 Countries
If we were able to go on a few trips we had mapped out, I think I could’ve crossed this off my list. So far, I’ve been to USA (of course), Mexico, UK, France, Netherlands, Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, + Italy. The next on my list are (hopefully): Ireland, Canada, and Germany.
*In Progress
Visit 20 States
So far, I’ve been to 16 states (passing through in airports doesn’t count!). Again, we had a few trips planned, but I still don’t know if I would’ve been able to hit 4 more by my 30th. Next up on our list are New Mexico, Utah, North Carolina, and Illinois.
*In Progress
Visit 10 Baseball Stadiums
One of the things on my boyfriend and I’s bucket list is to see a game at all 30 baseball stadiums in the US. We’re not big baseball fans or anything, I just love the stadium energy (and obviously the hot dogs). But we thought it would be something fun to experience together. So far, we’ve seen 8. We had plans to go to 4 stadiums before my birthday, but the world had other plans. We have a few weddings and trips planned for next year already, so we will be incorporating stadium tours with those.
*In Progress
Fly First Class
When I crafted my 30 before 30 list, I thought flying first class would be the perfect addition. It was something I (surprisingly) had never done before, and it’s definitely a fun bucket list item. With the amount of trips we had planned, I didn’t think it would be tough to cross this off. But I’m looking forward to finally experiencing this when we start traveling again!
*Not Completed
Self Improvement:
Learn How to Cook
If you know me, you know mastering this would be a huge accomplishment. Cooking (even the basics) has never come easy to me. In 2019 and 2020, I made it my goal to try one new recipe a month. Since I had some more free-time in 2020 and this was a goal I could actually accomplish, I made all 12 recipes for the year before May. While I’m not a master chef, I feel like I’ve really improved. I definitely mastered the basics and feel comfortable trying new things.
*Completed
Start Meditating (Or Alternative Stress Reliever)
I tried getting into meditation so many times. It was really hard for me to find it productive. So instead, I’ve been doing breath work and really enjoyed it. Depending on how much time I have in my morning, I try to do 5-10 minutes and I’ve incorporated it into my daily routine.
*Completed
Earn a VP Title
Growing in my career has always been really important to me. Earning a Vice President title before 30 always seemed like a lofty goal. But I was able to find a company who saw my potential and offered me a great opportunity.
*Completed
Create a Skincare Routine (+ Stick to It)
When I was 23, I noticed one of my coworkers was obsessed with skincare products. At that time, my favorite obsessions were make-up. I didn’t think about the long term impact a good skincare regimen would have. Lucky for me, my coworker was extremely helpful and pointed me in all the right directions for different products. I finally have a good routine and a long list of all my favorite skincare products.
*Completed
Get Invisalign
I really wish I had listened to my parents when I was younger and continued to wear my retainers after braces. But…I didn’t. My teeth aren’t terrible, but considering I have a dentist, I pay close attention to my teeth and they are not straight. I got Invisalign a few months ago and can’t wait for the results.
*Completed
Figure Out Vitamins to Take Daily
One of my yearly goals was figuring out which vitamins were important for me to take (As I’ve said before, Target was my saving grace since vitamins can be expensive when you’re buying a bunch at once). Everyday I make sure to take vitamin c, vitamin b12, vitamin d, digestive enzymes, probiotic, turmeric, zinc/calcium/magnesium, and omega 3.
*Completed
Do a Boudoir Shoot
For the longest time, I wanted to do a boudoir shoot for me and only me. I thought it would be so empowering to look back on something like this. I found a photographer I really liked + she made me feel SO comfortable and good about myself. This isn’t for everyone, but I would highly recommend doing something like this if you’re up for it.
*Completed
Start a blog
Starting a blog was always something I wanted to try, even if it was just as a hobby. I love to write and wanted to dig into my creative side.
*Completed
Healthy Weight/Lifestyle
I’ve never been SUPER unhealthy, but I definitely overindulged in sweets and junk food in my early 20s. As my metabolism started slowing down around 25 (everyone was right – ugh), I started putting a big focus on my eating and working out habits. In the past 3 years or so, I really started researching food quality more. I’m much more aware of the ingredients in what I’m eating + where it comes from. Overall, I feel really happy with the lifestyle adjustments I’ve made.
*Completed
Learn How To Curl Hair
This is pretty embarrassing, but I still don’t REALLY know how to curl my hair. My hair is pretty long and thin, so it has never held a curl for very long. I can do light curls, but they never look even + they always fall out.
*In Progress
Side Splits on Both Sides
I am SO close to getting here! When I was going to PureBarre everyday, I thought this would for sure be an easy one. Unfortunately, I haven’t been stretching as much as I should be, which includes practicing the splits.
*In Progress
Figure Out Family Tree
My mom has always been super into this, so I thought it would be fun to start researching our family tree on both sides of my family. I did 23andMe, so I was able to find some of my relatives, but I want to learn more about my heritage/family history.
*In Progress
Take a Photography Class
My boyfriend and I invested in a more professional camera (well, more professional than our iPhones) and I really wanted to take a photography class. I’m hoping to give this a try by the end of the year. It’s a skillset I think would be great to have – who doesn’t want professional looking photos all the time?
*Not Completed
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