My 30, as I embark on my 30's, list...

A list of things I'm granting myself permission to explore as I enter my 30's

Jul 14, 2024

Hello, I’m Jodie. I write about life post burnout with themes of rest, living slower, healing and self discovery. Subscribe to support my work & to read more. Or, join our Slower Space community to access all content and the monthly journaling club!

Tomorrow I turn 29, and although I really don’t think of age as something that has to be a set marker for life, for some reason this upcoming birthday has got me feeling reflective.

I’m officially entering my Saturn Return (the so called astrological coming of age, I chat about that more in my latest vlog), and I do really resonate with this notion that there’s a bit of a reckoning that happens in your late 20’s - that’s been my experience so far atleast!

I’m thinking more about what’s to come, and that I really can stir the ship and create a life that feels fulfilling. I’m thinking about the present, and my future in a way that feels empowering. Like I’m stepping into the driving seat more confident in myself and what works for me.

I write lists all of the time and have a vision board that feels like a guide, but a 30 before 30 list is something I’ve never considered, and to be honest I always thought was a bit gimmicky.

Then, a few months back at a retreat I taught on, I got chatting to someone who’d made a 30 before 30 list. They started it in their mid-twenties and had a year to go, and going on a retreat was something they wanted to experience, their list helping to place them in that very moment.

It got me thinking about the power of writing down our intentions, or even just our simple wishes. I do this every month with the Monthly Journaling Club, but it made me reflect on longer term desires, and how they can act as a guide for how we show up in the present.

I’m aware, given that I’ve only got a year, I’m incredibly late to the party, so I’ve decided to list 30 things I’d love to do as I embark on my 30’s.

No strict timelines, but some guidance on how I’d love the next few years to look. I made a cup of tea, sat down with some of my favourite chocolate and got to writing, here’s what came up…

My 30, as I enter my 30’s, list

Learn to sew and start mending my clothes/ things for the house
Perfect my country cottage border and experiment with different plants
Go on a foraging course
Visit Japan
Grow my own spinach
Complete a 500 piece puzzle (I’m thinking this is one for those days between Christmas & new year)
Get the little shell tattoo I keep thinking about
Live abroad for a month
Go to the theatre
Take a cooking class with Jay
Go through all of the photos on my phone and have a digital clear out
Run a 10k
Learn how to make my own bread
Go on a silent day retreat again
Complete the 3 peaks challenge
Go around Scotland in a camper for a week, or 10 days, either would be lovely
Start watching Gilmore Girls - this is already scheduled for autumn this year
Create a beginners Yoga Nidra course
Travel to New Zealand again
Try a dancing class - and stick with it if I enjoy it!
Do a writing course
Start learning Welsh again
Organise and run a retreat
Do up our kitchen and do it ourselves (as much as possible)
Move more of my career and income from social media to different creative formats
Do a solo trip abroad
Be said adult and invest in a better duvet, and pillows
Get my inbox down to 0 and keep it that way
Do a mini road trip around Italy
Have more guilt free naps, especially in the middle of the working day when my perfectionist mindset tells me I should really be working

And there it is! My hopes and desires for the next few years (which feels kind of vulnerable to share, but nice to put it out there!)

My 30, as I embark on my 30's, list...

A list of things I'm granting myself permission to explore as I enter my 30's

My 30, as I enter my 30’s, list

Do you have a 30 before 30 list or something similar?

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