The list!

I've had a really busy couple of weeks, and have been deliberating what to include on the final list, but I think it's time to get on and publish it.  With the idea of giving the list a bit of structure, I decided to divide it roughly into 6 categories: life/ general, travel, learning, creative, get active and activities.

So here it is... my 30 before 30 list!

1. Volunteer for a good cause

2. Read the New Testament

3. Write down 30 good memories/ achievements from my twenties

4. Read a new book every month

5. Take a months break from Facebook

6. Go on a road trip around Scotland

7. Have a weekend city break somewhere in Europe

8. Fly first class

9. Fly in a helicopter

10. Go on a hot air balloon ride

11. Do an evening class in something I haven't tried before

12. Take up piano again and learn to play 6 new songs

13. Learn to play the ukulele

14. Read the instruction manual for my camera and finally learn how to use it properly

15. Learn to make a stop frame animation

16. Do a 30 day photography project

17. Make an item of clothing for myself

18. Do something arty that I've never tried before

19. Make something new on my sewing machine every month

20. Upcycle 2 things from a charity shop (non-textiles)

21. Lose 1 stone

22. Do a 5k

23. Climb a munro

24. Try snowboarding again

25. Get a massage

26. Get a make up lesson

27. See a band I've never heard of before

28. Go to a ballet performance

29. Try an unusual type of food

30. Do something fun to celebrate my 30th!

I've made a start on a few things, but will keep blogging about my progress over the upcoming months.  If I was really cool, I would start one of these hashtag things - #KT30:30

*Disclaimer: Hopefully I'll be able to stick to this list, but if it looks like something is really not going to be achievable, I am going to give myself the option of changing a couple of things!

Some ground rules

As soon as I hit 'publish' on my blog post last night, I slightly regretted it.  Maybe this is a stupid idea, people will think it's cheesy, now that I've made it public I can't go back on it etc.  But I still posted a link to the blog on Facebook today, and actually I feel better already for having a project on the go.  Something to focus on, which will hopefully help me to feel a bit more motivated about life again.  And people have been really positive about the idea so far!

 

There are a lot of '30 before 30' lists out there already.  Some people seem to have started when they turned 25.  Given I have less than 11 months to go now till my birthday, I think it might be slightly unrealistic to include items such as 'get married' or 'write and publish my first novel'.  I'm also not that keen on some of the more vague ideas I've seen, for example learn to accept myself as I am.  Some things take longer than 11 months. 

 

So I've decided to set myself a few ground rules.  Nothing too strict, just a few things to help me at this initial stage.

 

1. The list can't include anything I was planning on doing already this year (eg. go to China, get my first credit card) - that would be too easy!

2. I'd like the items on the list to have goals/ final outcomes rather than being open-ended.  Something I can quantify or take a photo of.  I like being able to tick things off a list knowing that they've been completed.

3. A good number should be fun things!

4. But I also want to have some challenges in there too - I'm a great believer in pushing myself out of my comfort zone every now and then.

5. I want to involve other people as much as I can.  Because it's good to share, and that will help with number 3.

 

:)

The idea

You may be shocked to know this, but I turn 30 next year.  I know, I know – I don’t look a day over 21...ish.  The days of hoping I wouldn’t get asked for ID have been replaced with being secretly pleased when I am.  Or slight mortification when the young whipper-snapper at the till tells me to ‘take it as a compliment’.

 

Recently I’ve had conversations with friends of a similar vintage about impending thirty-hood and the realisation that we are most definitely in our late twenties.  There should be a list of ‘You know you’re in your late twenties when...’  My personal list includes sometimes having to turn Radio 1 off because it’s just too noisy, feeling mildly appalled at what the kids wear these days, feeling too old to go into Topshop, and wondering if it’s time to start using anti-wrinkle cream.

 

Yes, I am dreading turning 30.  Most people aren’t that keen on the idea of getting older, and these milestone birthdays just seem to rub it in your face.  I’m quite sure that most people who are over 30 already would shake their heads at me, and offer little/ no pity.  But it’s all relative.

 

I’m sure I’ve written before about expectations.  When I was at school I had this plan as to how my late teens/ twenties would pan out.  It went something like this... Leave school, go to uni, graduate, get a ‘good’ job, get married, buy a house, have 2 kids and live happily ever after.  A little naive perhaps?!  I did graduate (eventually) and I do have a job, for which I’m very grateful.  But I struggle to come to terms with the disappointments and hurts of the past decade.  I tend to think about the challenging times, rather than remembering all the good things that have happened, the friends I have made, the things I have achieved.

 

I’ve found the past few months particularly difficult, for a variety of reasons.  But as I sat in a coffee shop today wallowing in self-pity (a bad habit of mine – the self-pity that is, not sitting in coffee shops), I made a decision.  I don’t want to spend the next 11 months looking back with disappointment and forward with dread.  Instead I would like to take a step towards making peace with my twenties and embracing my thirties.  So I’ve decided to make a '30 things to do before I’m 30' list.  I know it’s a bit of a cliché and I don’t anticipate that this will instantly solve the disappointment/ dread issues.  But I hope that it will give me a bit of perspective, some much needed motivation and the chance to have some fun!

 

This blog was initially started to record my travels to Rwanda in 2012.  I’m still a 'frightened traveller' in many ways.  If no one reads this, that’s ok – I like blogging as a way of keeping a record.  If there is anyone reading this, I’m open to suggestions on what I should include on my list.  I’m not quite sure what this is going to look like, and I know it’s certainly not a new idea, but it’s something I really want to do.

 

I better get writing that list... 331 days and counting!