The 18 Things To Accomplish Before Turning 30

I saw this post on LinkedIn and decided to share because I liked most of the things in it and thought it was a good read. Soooo, happy reading:

Ref: Forbes

I read this “17 Things To Accomplish Before You’re 30” article earlier this year and thought to myself “is that really it?” Are those really the experiences I would stand behind as the accomplishments of my 20s?

So, in the name of August birthdays, I reached out to some of my favourite friends, role models, business owners, and pre-1986’ers to see what their take on the question “what would you advise others to ‘accomplish’ by the time they are 30.”

This was the list we created:

1) Create a goal setting practice that works for you.

Set annual goals with your partner. Set monthly goals with your team at work. Craft a 20-year vision board. Highlight three things on your to-do list each week that you are committed to doing above all the others. Set an intention for yourself when you wake up each day. Whatever it is, do it.

Let go of how it looks when you write it down (yes, we highly advise you write it down) and what is included in it. Create a habit of acknowledging what you want in this life and going after it.

2) Establish a meditation practice.

It doesn’t need to be more than 5-10 minutes a day. The mental space and clarity you create will help you focus, reconnect, and help put things into perspective. If goals setting helps you envision the future, meditation helps you experience this moment. When both work together – magic.

3) Get your selfish out.

“Embrace being selfish before you turn 30 so you’re not a selfish asshole afterward.” Quit the job. Take the trip. Say yes to that relationship. Say no to the party. Watch that Netflix series again and again. Improve your credentials. Have a regrettable one night stand. And then remember that there are more people in this world than just you – and make sure you recognize the impact you have on them through the choices you make.

4) Have your heart broken.

Sometimes life is unfair and you don’t always get your way. Having your heart broken teaches you this and, once you are able to forgive and move through the hurt and resentment, you can learn a lot about yourself – including how resilient you can be and how you are still able to love again.

5) Change your relationship with your finances.

Check in and understand what short-term and long-term savings means to you. Same goes with investments, retirement, home ownership, education, kids, and going on adventures. What do they mean to you and what impact could that have on your finances? Explore why your relationship is what it is – is it because you’ve been told you need a own a home by the time you’re 30? That “debt is a normal thing”? That retirement feels too far away to think about? That donating money was never a thing your parents valued? Identify what aspects of your relationship with your finances needs to shift in order to achieve your goals.

6) Stand up for something.

Go to a rally. Attend a vigil. Organize a protest. The world is not only moved forward in lawmakers’ chambers. It is about people rising up and caring so passionately about something that it gets the lawmakers in their chambers in the first place. Care that much about something bigger than yourself.

7) Complete a “Master’s Program.”

You may choose a formal education program, or you may choose a yoga teacher training, working or volunteering abroad, or starting a company. Whatever it is, choose something that will transform your view of the world and enable you to better understand who you are and what your contribution is.

8) Live in another city.

Choose somewhere that can be a fresh start – where most people don’t have any idea of who you are or what you’ve done. Who you choose to be and what you choose to value in this new space can be an enlightening observation. It may also be a little nerve-racking, so make sure you find a place or activity that helps you feel grounded and safe. That way you have the space to reflect, expand, redefine, and appreciate what home, friends, and family mean to you.

9) Define who I am.

Test your boundaries socially, physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Seek out the opportunities that challenge your limits and help you discover or define your character and your belief systems. Along the way, get to know the little voice inside your head … the voice that is not you. Understand where this Ego over functions to satisfy the need to feed, please, impress or satisfy societal norms or the expectations of others. Be confident in your definition of who you are and who you are not.

10) Distinguish your strengths from your talents.

Talents are what you are good at. Strengths are the activities you do that make you feel strong. A weakness, therefore, is an activity you do that makes you feel weak. Get to know the things you are talented at that are your weaknesses – and stop doing them. Just because you’re good at it doesn’t mean you should keep doing it. Focus on becoming talented in your strengths – so you come alive while offering up your best.

11) Get comfortable with the U word.

It’s rare that a career mentor, school counsellor, or parental figure suggests “unemployment” or even “underemployment” as a viable next step along your journey – and with good reason: being unemployed is scary. Take these moments between roles to stop and take stock of what’s working, where you’re at today, and where you want to go. Put pen to paper and write out a list of all the things you are doing and compare them to what you want to be doing. Get off the speeding train for enough time to reflect, reset, and start fresh on your intentionally chosen path.

12) Know when and how to say “sorry” or “I was wrong.”

We all make mistakes or snafus. Know when to bow and give credence to another for being right or for correcting your path.

13) Learn the new-age survival skills.

How to fix a flat tire on a car or bike. How to cook a healthy meal for when you have people over. How to clean a washroom. How to critique or comment on food, wine, and art. How to maximize your electronic’s battery life. How to manage your body hair (from the top of your head all the way down). How to take care of your skin (#moisturizer). How to hold a baby. How to shop inline with your personal style. How to use Snapchat.

14) Build your health and wellness team.

Have a doctor, acupuncturist, dentist, chiropractor, naturopath, massage therapist, counsellor, and physical trainer that know who you are beyond a name on a medical chart or appointment reminder. Visit them as regularly as you can.

15) Sleep on a beach, under the stars, off the grid.

#heckyeah

16) Live with your partner.

Experience what it’s like for someone else’s dishes to be in the sink, someone else’s hair in the shower, or someone else’s favourite show on the TV. Living with a roommate is one thing, yet when love (and sex) are in the mix – be ready to learn a whole lot about yourself and who you are when no one else is watching.

17) Build (and rebuild) your tribe.

Create a support network of people who champion you and who generate an environment that fills you up. Be ready and willing to support them right back. Notice when it’s time for your tribe to change in order for you all to move on and grow. Let them go and rebuild your network – creating a new support system of people that will take you to the next chapter of your life.

18) Let go of measuring your life by years.

Instead of measuring your life by how old you are, measure your life by how you feel in this moment. Are you proud of yourself? Are you having fun? Are you doing your best? While age is only a number, it only takes one one-hundredth of a second to become an Olympian. Live your life as if this next moment, this next breath, could change your life forever.