“And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.” - Donald Miller 
I have such a large desire to live a meaningful life. If anybody asked me what my biggest fear was, I would instantly respond with “being 40, 50, 60, whatever, and disappointed on how life turned out and the things I didn’t do”. I know that I am not going to be able to do everything that life has to offer; however, I just want to make sure that each day I have is fulfilled to the fullest, enjoyed to its entirety, and experienced to all it has to offer. So prior to me even reaching my 25th, I was well on my way of accomplishing things. I discovered a list of "to-do's" that I had created during my eighth grade year and started on working my way through the list, learning and growing all the way. In the process, I truly believe that I felt as if I had, not only, more purpose in the world, but also, I was confident in who I was and why I was doing things. It was making the chapter in my life more interesting. With this discovery, I self-reflected a lot, bonded with many more friends and deepen the relationships I had already. After making a 25 before 25 list, and doing extremely well on my accomplishments, I shared my new goals of my late-20s with my 30 before 30 list. I have accomplished a lot, but feel as if as my lifestyle changes with marriage and a career, that some of my goals have altered a bit along the way as well. I have worked a bit on this list without really realizing it over the past few year, which is sort of comical to me. Additionally, if I never get them marked off my list, I know that every day will still be fulfilled to their fullest, and that’s truly the overall goal.
- Learn to speak a new language
- Take a brewery tour
- Watch a Disney Broadway play
- Complete my Master's degree
- Publish a book
- Sing Miami by Will Smith in Miami
- Sit in the audience of a taping of a talk show
- Own property
- Take a cruise
- Read 12 books in 12 months
- Complete an entire project.365
- Run a half marathon
- Travel abroad
- Take a class that’s totally out of my element, like painting, golf, or pottery-making
- Read the entire Bible
- Go out dancing
- Cook a huge meal and throw a dinner party for friends
- Climb a mountain (it doesn’t have to be Mt. Everest)
- Own a pet
- Say yes for an entire day
- Pay for someone else in a drive thru
- Fall in love
- Get better at something I'm good at
- Visit each MLB stadium
- Be my own boss
- Learn to sew
- Become confident on a bike
- Spend a night camping under the stars
- Grow an herb garden
- Reconnect with an old friend
Now I can't necessarily say that I am 100% comfortable with a number of things on here. Biking terrifies me, and in the past, I have embarrassed myself in college by crashing into a parked car in a parking lot. I really hate the idea of preparing for a half marathon, or running for that long at once. I was not sure how good I would be with painting or sewing. And some of these take a lot of time, planning, money, and effort: 30 stadium tickets, writing an entire book, training for a half marathon. However, I am excited to share my experiences through my 30before30 Thursdays. If you would like to create your own "30 before 30", "40 before 40", or whatever list, and need some inspiration, check out a article by Business Insider from this summer.
"The character has to jump into the story, into the discomfort and fear, or there will never be a story." - Robert McGee
