30 Before 30

Time seriously feels like it’s moving faster as I grow older. Each year feels shorter and shorter, and before I know it my 20s are going to be over and I’m going to have to come to terms with that fact that I’m officially #adulting.

I turn 30 in just less than three years and that honestly scares the shit out of me. There’s so much I have yet to experience in my youth, so much I still want to accomplish before I feel like I have to “settle down.” Yes, I know that in today’s age 30 is the new 20 (thank goodness), but the thought of being on this earth for 30 years is mind-blowing to me. Have I lived my best life up to this point?!

Back in college I made a 25 Before 25 list and shared it with friends on Facebook (back before I had a blog). I found that sharing my list of goals actually helps me achieve them, because it feels like I have people to hold me accountable and extra support to check them off. I actually did accomplish about half of these goals on my old list below (been to London, bought a new car, went to France, made out w/ a stranger) but many of these things I still have not done, so I decided to revisit the list and revise it to make a 30 Before 30 bucket list.

Old list:

Here is my new list of 30 things I would like to accomplish or experience before I turn 30!!

I have less than three years, so I have to act fast!

1. Adopt a puppy | Before I’m ever an actual mom (if that ever happens), I want to be a dog mom. I’m hoping this will happen in the next year or so.
2. Move to a new city | I’ve lived in Portland my entire life, which shocks me. Even though my whole life is here (job, family, great friends, network, etc), I really don’t want to turn 30 and have to admit that I’ve never left Portland.
3. Pay off (most of) my student debt | This may take me longer than another 2.5 years, but it’s a good goal to try to accomplish…. but also why is college so damn expensive, sheesh!
4. Explore a new career path | We live in a world where people move from one field to another often, and I think a huge change in career could be really refreshing.
5. Design & create a clothing line | Whether it’s a small collection of bandeaus or an entire line of festival outfits, I need to be better about prioritizing my time to something I’m incredibly passionate about: making beautiful unique clothing that people feel fabulous in.
6. Open an online store | To sell the above collection.
7. Take a trip to Italy with mom | Fun fact: I’m half Italian, my mom is 100% Italian, and yet neither of us have ever been to Italy. How is that?! I’m longing to treat her to the trip of a lifetime that we can fully enjoy together and learn more about our lineage. And eat amazing cheese and sip on Italian wine while we laugh and lounge in the Tuscan sun * sigh *
8. Go to Costa Rica with dad | No, dad isn’t Costa Rican but it’s top on his list of places to go to photograph (he’s an incredible landscape photographer, have I mentioned that?) and I would love to experience that with him.
9. Sit courtside at an NBA game | “Basketball is my favorite sport, I like the way they dribble up and down the court” – Lil’ Bow Wow
10. Get another tattoo | But what would I get, you ask? Uhhhh… I have a few ideas. Maybe something Skyrim-related because I’m a huge nerd. I have only one tattoo now and it says ‘Mischief Managed’ from Harry Potter.
11. Attend another music festival | This one will actually happen next year when I go to Coachella 2020! But I’d also like to attend other festivals I haven’t been to yet, like Lollapalooza in Chicago or Bonnaroo in Tennessee.
12. Buy a designer handbag | Gucci, Gucci, Louis, Louis, Fendi, Fendi, Prada…..
13. Go on a cross-country road trip | AKA visit all 50 states (I’ve only been to 16-17 states if I’m counting correctly) So many more of them to see and I feel a road trip is the proper way to do it.
14. Learn a new language | Probably Spanish, but I’d also love to learn French because it sounds so beautiful.
15. Sing karaoke in front of a large group of people | I have sort of already done this, but I want to challenge myself to do it again in front of an even larger crowd. I love to sing, and I’m decent so maybe I’ll even sign up to do it at an amateur night somewhere.
16. Travel to Spain | and I probably wouldn’t come back.
17. Make a difference in someone’s life | This is very broad, but I want to keep it that way. I don’t necessarily want to plan this one, it will just happen when the moment presents itself.
18. Run a 10K | I’ve ran Hood to Coast and loved it, so I can suck it up and run 6.2 miles. Even better if it’s with friends!
19. Find a lucrative side income | This could connect back to #8 and #9, or it could be something completely different. But I feel like so many young professionals also have a fun side job that brings in good travel money. So I want to find one too!
20. Join a gym and actually go | Well, I’m spoiled because I can now be a member of the gyms on Nike campus for free (as of July 9th, so fortuitous timing of this goal). But the thing is, I actually need to GO. No excuses. Get that booty into SHAPE, girl.
21. Grow my IG and blog following by 3x | This is harder than it seems. I’ve been trying to grow my instagram for several years and it’s kind of plateaued at its current state. But I love creating content and sharing my thoughts and ideas so I hope within the next few years I can find and build a consistent audience to grow my online presence. Also, if I get to 10K I can finally use the damn swipe up option on Insta stories, holla!
22. Watch a movie in the park on a date | Just something I’ve never done and always wanted to do. Anyone down?
23. Get featured in the media for something I’m proud of | Maybe for a future clothing line? Or maybe one of my blog posts about travel will go viral?? Who knows!
24. Learn to bartend | This could also be my lucrative side income, if I’m any good.
25. Take singing lessons | Have wanted to do this for years, and just haven’t put the time into looking for a good teacher. As I mentioned above, I have a decent voice. I can hold a tune. But I’d probably be great with a few years of lessons. An extension of this goal is I’d also love to act in a musical, but I’ll add that to my 35 before 35 list 😉
26. Sleep outside under the stars outside of the city | Like really outside, not even in a tent. Perhaps one of these really warm summer nights I’ll venture out into the Oregon woods and make this happen.
27. Hold/snuggle a baby leopard and/or wolf | Not to get too specific, I’d be satisfied with any jungle cat or wild dog, but a baby leopard or baby wolf would MELT MY HEART and I’d probably try to keep it. HA just kidding. But to have the opportunity to hold such an incredible creature, I’m sure I’d get emotional and start crying. Can you tell I’m a huge animal lover?
28. Create unique artwork for my home | I already have ideas for this! Not telling yet though, I’ll probably make it into a DIY blog post!
29. Volunteer at an animal shelter | See my note on being an animal lover above.
30. Fall in love | Wouldn’t that be nice?

So there you have it! I should probably get started on some of these….. as I’m writing this, the thought of doing everything on this list in less than three years seems sort of impossible but I’m up for the challenge! Who wants to help me?!

Do you have a 30 before 30 list? Or at least a bucket list of things you want to accomplish in your lifetime? I’d love to hear what your personal goals are too. Leave me a comment below, and we can get inspiration from each other!

And as always, thank you for reading! XOXO

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