A year for Big dreams
At the beginning of this month, I turned 27. I was talking with my partner about why this age felt different, even though it’s not a big round decade number and I don’t unlock some sort of adult privilege. The more we talked about it, the more I felt that looming 30 staring down at me. I know, 27 is not old and it’s also really not that close to 30. In my mind, though, it’s the beginning of a smaller section of my 20s – the almost 30 years. You have your early 20s – 20 to 23 – a simple and fun time; you get to run around and vote and drink and really start to experience the world as a non-teenager. Then you hit your mid 20s – 24 to 26; settling in a little bit into who you are, maybe finishing a higher education, getting into a career. And then you only have your late 20s left – 27 to 29 – or as I like to say…the almost 30s.
While I totally get that age is literally just a number and a totally arbitrary one at that, it still feels like there’s some sort of pressure to have some big parts of my life figured out by then. Should I be married, buying a house, having kids? Or should I be rediscovering my hobbies, finally getting healthy, and gardening? A lot of people feel this way in the same way that 20 is “no longer a teenager”; turning 30 comes with this idea that you’re no longer young and dumb and “figuring it out” still. I know, it’s a silly idea and we’re really all still “figuring it out” until we die. The idea still permeates our society.
This weekend I really took some time to deep-dive into what is important to me and where I want to be in 6 months, a year, and 5 years. Finding concrete goals to give myself for that far in the future was really difficult because up until recently, I’d been a paycheck-to-paycheck person with terrible impulse spending habits. My planning for the future was literally “if I buy fast food today, will I have enough money for gas the day before I get paid?” and let me tell you…that was rough. And it was my fault. I had no self control and wasn’t making enough money to support myself and be frivolous, regardless of how small the amount. A lot changed when I got a new job and was making more money, was paying for my own car and insurance, and living with a partner who was significantly more responsible than me in just about every way. Up until then, I’d only lived with people who had their parents’ credit card. Keeping up with the Joneses was something I denied that I was doing forever until I realized a few years ago that all my money was spent trying to compensate for what my friends were doing. It wasn’t even them pressuring me; I was them doing things and going places and buying things and i wanted to do that stuff as well, even if I didn’t really have the money or desire for it typically.
That long run-around was really to get us to this – I’ve started to invest in myself. I know my friends like me and I like my friends. I’ve stopped buying things to try to impress other people because no one really cares, right? If I do buy things, it’s to make me happy. I’ve also gotten so much better at controlling my impulse buying that it’s totally changed my lifestyle. Now that I’ve settled down and am focusing on me, what does that mean? What am I focusing on this year that I’ll appreciate for years? What will I learn and create this year that will change my life, that I can look back on and be glad I made this change? Here’s my list.
Developing This Blog
I’ve wanted to start a blog forever but it’s a saturated market and I wasn’t sure what kind of blog I was going to make and I honestly still don’t know who actually reads blogs. Seriously. But I decided I was going to do it and here I am. I’m so happy I started my personal blog. Even though I haven;t shared it with friends or family yet, I feel proud in the work I’ve put into developing posts, the site, and my writing style. I know all of this will evolve through the life of my blog but I’m already so proud I actually started it. My goal for 27 with the blog? Consistency.
Start a Podcast
You guessed it, I’m trying to do the millennial equivalent of starting a band in my garage. I love talking about nonsense and sharing my opinion, but a podcast gives me a different outlet and I can also produce different content with other people involved. We’ll see if I can ever get anyone on board with some of my crazy ideas.
Start Writing a Book
I’ve wanted to write a book for years, maybe even something I’ve wanted since I was a child. If you’ve ever had the thought “I want to write a book” then, like me, you probably had no clue what that entails or where to start. This year I’m going to put in the work and finally get the fiction in my head out and onto digital paper. It probably won’t be finished this year, and maybe it never will, but there’s only one way to find out.
Learn How to Use the Technology at my Disposal
Okay this one is really broad but I promise it all connects. I’ve always been someone who will learn something just enough to make it work alright. I’m 100% a “good enough” person. But when I started my blog I was overwhelmed with SEO tips of every kind. And you know what I did? I thought “You know, I’ll figure that out later” and guess what? I definitely still haven’t done that. I use Adobe Creative Suite to create videos but they are so minimal and straightforward that it could be done in any movie editing program. I’m finally going to learn just what all the gizmos and gadgets and widgets and whatzits do in all the programs I own and use.
Personal Development
Here’s another kind of vague one but I actually just got into this in the last week. I never knew what personal development really was because I always assumed if you’re developing professionally or in another area of your life, what was personal development for? I think I’m starting to figure it out now. Personal fitness and hobbies are some of the things on my personal development list this year as well as increasing my ability to initiate tasks. Changing my media consumption to more educational and motivational content has already helped with this and I’m desperately trying to hold myself accountable when it comes to consistently working out and eating better. Baby steps.
So what does all this add up to? Why are these my goals for my 27th year? I think a lot of it stems from my far-off dream of being my own boss and being a creator. I’ve always wanted to create products to represent myself and one day provide me with a paycheck. I’m hoping this year I can develop the skills, habits, and products necessary to bring this sort of success into my life. From more defined goals like starting a book to some more vague things like personal development, I think I’ve found enough to fill my plate over the next 12 months.
What goals do you have for yourself for the next year? Is there a specific age that helped you refocus your life? Let me know what sort of things you’ve planned for yourself this next year so we can share our success! And don’t forget to sign up for my email list where you can hear about all the little stories of my life that don’t earn their own blog spot.
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