30 Before 30: Things Nicole Tried To Do This Year Before Her Birthday
I think it’s easy to do one of two things when it comes to aging. Either sweep it under the rug and pretend it’s a non-issue or hyper-focus until it feels too overwhelming. Unfortunately, I find I fall into both categories. Some days I feel completely fine with turning 30 and others feel like an inundation of questions including “How did this happen so fast?!” and “Should I now change my personality to match my age?!”, and other arguably silly questions. The pandemic had/has a complicated effect on all of us but one of the things I noticed walking into 2023 is how little I was able to do for myself and how much I needed to take care. For the better part of a decade, I have been working non-stop and changed careers multiple times in the process, feeling like a productivity robot. And though I like logistics, I was starting to feel like this robot needed an oil change. When I first started my 30 before 30 list (inspired by the one and only Steph who was about to celebrate her 30th in January) I wanted to figure out what my goals were before September. When I first started writing things down Steph had to remind me that this wasn’t a to-do list and was in fact meant to be fun, who knew? It turns out that after years of focus on achieving and adapting, I had lost the one integral part of self-care, joy. So today I want to share with you the 30 things I tried to do before turning 30 that slowly (but surely) brought me back to a place of joy.
Now I think it’s important to call out that I did not get everything on my list done, in fact, a lot of it I had to pivot and adjust based on my energy and time which, (thanks to therapy) I’m able to make peace with, despite very much being a Virgo. I’ve decided, that just because we’re hitting September doesn’t mean I have to throw the list away and deem it a failure, in fact, quite the opposite. It means I can give myself more time to accomplish my goals and that is perfectly okay. I’ve broken up the goals into categories to help them make more sense to me, I hope they help you too. Let’s dive in.
Environment
Simplify my belongings: It is no secret to my friends and family that I like to keep our home simple, and I find this starts slipping when I am overwhelmed and overworked, so getting back to this is often on my mind when our home starts to feel cluttered. This of course happened this year and I am happy to say (though it is an ongoing project) that things feel a little lighter these days.
Simplify my wardrobe: Similarly to our home, I share one closet with my husband and a small dresser so unless things are simple and organized our doorless closet starts to feel overwhelming. I like purging my closet and it gives great options for our next clothing swap.
Make our entrance warmer: This was inspired by a book I read, but living in a major city, making the outside of your home look kind isn’t often a priority so this is something I’ve been trying to work on. We have a small patio set outside so that feels like a start!
Create Art: I hope at this point it isn’t a surprise but I’m also an artist in a few different fields, and similarly, this drops off when I’m tired so getting back to this in 2023 was a necessary reset. I’ve always loved painting in particular which I hope we can include more in the AHS future!
Monthly Tapers: Yes you read that right. I love taper candles in my home and if I can give myself an indulgence once a month (especially in the winter) to replenish my stash, so I can burn them while I work, it is a small price to pay for a warm ambiance.
Health
6. Up my cardio: Though this goal sounds pretty run-of-the-mill, for me this has been difficult as an adult for a few reasons. 1. Cardio is the worst 2. Increased heart rate and strained breathing are the same symptoms as a panic attack and anxiety attack which unfortunately is a part of my makeup. I am happy to report though that I’ve seen huge improvements which will lend to long-term cardiovascular health.
7. Get a therapist: This was something I wanted to try this year having never done it before, and though I’ll be the first to say it’s not easy unpacking your life, it is definitely worth the money and time.
8. Cook through a cookbook: I hate using recipes unless it’s for baking so this was an adjustment, though I didn’t do an entire cookbook I have started using new recipes more often which is a nice change.
9. Get a Mani-pedi: When the financials allow I find this small act can make me feel more confident and polished which frankly is a nice feeling when other parts of my life feel like they’re in disarray.
10. Get my wisdom teeth removed: What a glamorous goal indeed! Unfortunately, this is still in the works as it’s not on my timeline, but what can I say, I’m a work in progress.
Money
11. Monthly financial review: My husband and I have actually been doing this for a few years now, though keeping it up can be difficult. We do our best to review and reconcile so we have full financial transparency between us, which I value about our relationship.
12. Work on savings: Easier said than done, I’ve really tried but also haven’t let this get in the way of me enjoying my year as we talk about in Money Matters.
13. Diversify my income: This has taken more time than I had hoped and is still a work in progress but we’re getting there, stay tuned!
Relationships
14. Book more time with friends: This will likely not be a shock but it turns out making time to spend with friends gets a lot harder as an adult! I’ve tried my best this year to make space for my friendships and foster them when I can. Friends are essential for joy in my opinion, so I look forward to many more fun-filled evenings to come!
15. Go on my honeymoon: Because we had a mid-pandemic wedding, the idea of a honeymoon was off the table for quite some time, but I am so happy to say that we managed to have an incredible time away in Europe this past spring which was so needed. Check out some shots from our trip and what I packed for a week in a carry-on here!
16. Book a cottage weekend: This weirdly came together twice this summer based on unforeseen circumstances but I’m so happy it did. Something magical happens when I’m by a body of water, making reflecting and processing feel easier, so any opportunity to sit quietly by a lake is time well spent.
17. Go to Karaoke: Something I don’t mention a lot, but Steph and I are born and raised theatre kids. It’s strange being a grown-up and realizing that you don’t get to sing anymore unless you put yourself in an environment for it so private karaoke rooms with close friends have been such a great way to burn off steam this year, picking our favourites and belting our hearts out.
18. Focus on communications: When I’m anxious the first thing to go is my communication skills, so this has been a gentle reminder to take a step back from my anxious brain, breathe, and respond to a few messages (relatively) on time.
Growth
19. Finish my courses: I, like many, get very excited about taking courses and usually after the first few modules remember why I never went back for my Master’s. But this year I wanted to float these courses back to the top of my mental inbox so I didn’t forget about them. Though I haven’t managed to complete them yet, I know I will and am giving myself permission to take my time because, unlike my undergrad, this is on no one’s timeline but my own.
20. Get a new tattoo: I am so happy I made this goal for myself as I often find new tattoos easy to defer because of money and time. My new tattoo artist also did an incredible job so my new piece is a welcome addition to the family.
21. Read 10 books: I will first say that I am not a good reader. Unfortunately, I found school really took any joy I had for it out of my life so, though I wish I could say I completed this goal, I did manage to read 8 books which is already better than last year so I’ll consider it a win. Check out some of our book picks here!
22. Volunteer: Though this ended up not being the way I expected it to be, I ended up volunteering a lot of my time to help with my brother’s wedding which I think still counts!
23. Perfect Unwinding: I am still very much working on this but as you can see with our ‘After-work routine’ post and the ‘Art of Doing Less’, I think I am well on my way.
Career
24. Build up AHS: I mean if you’re here reading this, I would take this as a win! Building a blog is a lot of work (easily 30 hours a month for us both) to keep this thing running but it has been so much fun and there are many more exciting things to come!
25. Work on my Interiors Business: I am excited to say that I completed a HUGE project this year that I am hoping to share on my design socials @huntergathererinteriors soon!
26. Work on balance: Looking specifically at work/life balance, I’ve still not mastered this but I’ve made a few boundaries and rules, like not working past 8 PM no matter what, that I hope will help!
Interests
27. Fall in Love with movies again: I found that after being stuck at home watching movies for 3 years, I didn’t have the attention span for them anymore, so I’ve been trying to get back into Cinema more intentionally. I’m happy to say I’ve seen some incredible films this year because of it!
28. Enjoy my hobbies: Something I haven’t mentioned here very often but I (and my husband) are huge gamers so getting back to my Switch (especially with the release of Tears of the Kingdom) has been a lovely re-addition to my life.
29. Find Stillness: With an anxious brain and busy schedule this has not been easy but I try to give myself a few moments in the morning just to breathe which has made a world of difference.
30. Enjoy: It’s the little things, like reading outside, appreciating sunrays, and getting coffee, but after nine months of working on it, I think joy has sprouted in my universe again, and I hope to keep watering it and helping it grow. Cheers to 30!
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