Some Birthday Goals on America’s Birthday

Jul
2012
04

posted by on Life

3 comments

Happy birthday, America!

America isn’t the only one celebrating a birthday this week and I spent the past weekend in St. Simon’s Island celebrating my friend Jen’s 30th. I will talk about this trip in more detail on The Wanderscapes but let’s just say it was exactly what I needed at this very moment. I feel rested, relaxed and most importantly, happy. It also has helped me realize my next steps, steps that are uncertain and pretty vague but I have more direction and I know what I want now. That’s such a great feeling, guys.

  Diptic

We were eating dinner near the pier on the eve of Jen’s birthday and we started talking about what our goals for our 30th year would be and our 30s in general. Jen wants to live overseas, Mary wants to find more down time for herself and Adrienne wants to retile her bathroom before she hits 30 in October, among other things. (Some of us were in denial that 30 was looming and didn’t want to talk about their 30s yet ;) ) Since it’s America’s birthday today and I recently turned 30 two months ago to the day, I thought I would share my goals with you all.

  • Branch out. I have fallen into a bit of a rut here in Boulder and I’m finding myself becoming extremely restless.  I often fall into the grasp of “comfortable” and “I’ll just stay on the sofa and poke around on the internet” instead of going out and doing what I really want to be doing (and should be doing. Like, say, running.) and it’s time to change that. I sometimes wish this blog wasn’t so public and I could talk more candidly but I cannot. Basically, I haven’t found what I need in Boulder and it’s time I start branching out more, expanding my horizons outside of Boulder to find what I need.  This also involves getting out and meeting new people, something I’m also not very good at. To conquer this, I’m going to attempt Meetup.com. I’m also going to schedule in some down time as well as time to run otherwise neither one of those are going to happen.
  • Shift in priorities. This past year has been focusing too much on the material gain. This year, I want to invest in experiences. I have some amazing trips planned this year including a possible trip to St. Louis and trips to Los Angeles and San Francisco, but the amount of money I’m spending on everything else is making it tough to shift my priorities onto things like travel. Starting now I’m going to be limiting the times I eat out, the amount of alcohol I consume and not buy clothing or other small trivial things that I just don’t need.
  • Get out of the country. It has been nearly three years since I’ve left the country and if you know this travelaholic, THAT’S AN EFFING LONG TIME. I have big dreams for these big trips but they keep getting pushed back in favor of other, smaller trips (and things like car maintenance). Not that I’m complaining, there’s a lot of my own country that I’ve yet to explore and I love that I’m getting to do more of that, but I am craving that international adventure.
  • Get Hobbies. I tend to just try out hobbies, like knitting, painting, hiking…you get the point. I have so many unfinished projects on my quest to pick up a hobby it’s not even funny. Blogging really is the only thing that has stuck and it’s a hit or miss one at that. (I get writer’s block…a lot.) I really need to just stop trying things out and committing to something. Or at least find something I’m really passionate about (that isn’t just travel. Because that gets expensive fast. Or eating because that makes me gain weight and also gets expensive real fast). I would love it if I could really get into running and do races and travel to do races–obviously. Eventually I’ll find something I’m passionate about.
  • Get in shape. I know I probably say this every year but I do really want to get in better shape. Not stick thin like I used to be, but more toned and more importantly, more comfortable with my body. Also, I am going to read this article every day until I stop caring what other people think of me. You should also read it.
  • Something big is happening next May. But I can’t tell you what it is. Probably because I don’t know the logistics yet but I’ve set a deadline on myself of May 2013 so be on the lookout.
Despite some hiccups I still think this year is going to be amazing and that 30 is going to be a rockstar year and decade. 

What were your goals for your new birthday year and have you accomplished them yet?

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  • tomfromhr

    These are some good goals. Good on you for using Meetup, I’m not sure I’d have the bravery to do that!

    For me, the big goal is move out. I’ve said it for years, but I think I finally have the finances and overall will to do it. The other is to incorporate fitness into my life more. I’m not going to say lose weight, because that’s kind of a moving target, and that will come naturally from fitness. So focus on doing something every morning, be that a walk, a run, or some exercises at home.

    Yay for big things next May!

  • http://prettysandyfeet.com/ katelin

    oh those are great goals! i think my big one is trying new things and saying ‘yes’ more. i tend to opt out of things because it’s too far of a drive, but lately i’ve been forgoing that and getting out there and it’s awesome. 

  • Maggie Joos

    MeetUp.com has been successful for me for new friends and professional connections (and, er…friends that turned into professional connections and… well, you get the idea.) Good luck!

    Also, don’t beat yourself up too bad if you don’t find a traditional hobby you like. Sounds like you have some already (appreciating architecture, traveling, etc.) Perhaps you don’t get the opportunity to indulge on those hobbies every day, but you could pick up a new magazine or make dream itineraries. I say this as a person who has made crafting my profession, but who also has a pile of unfinished projects. Pinterest is perfect for this. I get really focused on an idea, but still have time to get distracted by the next shiny object before I make any investment in supplies.