30 Before 30

Pretty much everyone has one of these these days don’t they?

Whether it’s a 30 before 30 or 20 before 20, maybe it’s 25 before 25.. The lists go on and on really but I thought I’d join in with everyone else and make my own.

I turned 25 this year and although there’s so much I have done and accomplished in my life, there’s so much more still to do. So at the moment these are my 30 before 30, I am going to review this every year for the next 4 years and see if I tick anything off or if I take things out and change them completely.

Live abroad

In the same place, for at least 3 months. I feel like this is a decent amount of time to truly live somewhere and be able to discover it. As to where? I have no preferences as of yet. But it’s definitely something I want to accomplish and something I know won’t be moving from this list.

Quit my job!

I think unless you currently have the job of your dreams this one is on everyone’s list. For me I’m dying to quit the retail job I took after school finished. It was the first job I got an interview for and the first job I got offered. I always said, I’m not making it to 5 years there.. almost 7 years later and I’m still here. Although I have moved up the ranks and make a little more money, I still want out.

Take a sabbatical and travel the world solo

This is part of my plan. I’m hoping that in at least 2 years time I have enough money to do this and let’s be honest that I actually do it. It’s one of my dreams, I love travelling and I love discovering new places and meeting new people. I just need to get better at taking my own pictures.

Be debt free

I spoke about my debt in a previous post, right here. For me, this is quite a big one. I’ve been in debt for about 5 years now and credit limits keep increasing and I keep spending so this is something I really need to get rid of and hopefully sooner rather than later!

Learn a second language, and actually use it

And no, I don’t mean the French I learned in school. I have tried learning a few languages in the past but haven’t got very far. For instance, “Ik ben een banaan” for anyone that doesn’t know Dutch this means, “I am a banana.” Clearly a phrase I would use on the regular. *rolls eyes* I did also try to learn some basic Japanese, but funnily enough it is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do and I wasn’t very successful.

Do something that scares me

This could be one of a few things but I guess the first thing that pops into my head is something like, skydive, bungee jump or ride in a hot air balloon as I’m absolutely terrified of heights. Who knows, maybe it will conquer my fear?

Throw a party to enter into my 30s!

This one is pretty self explanitory no? End my 20s in style and thow a massive party with all my friends and family around me.

Achieve my goal weight

Hopefully I achieve this one before I’m 30, I have like four and a half years and I want to lose half my body weight (roughly). I know it is doable, I just need to start exercising properly again and obviously eating well, although that isn’t as much of an issue as I do really enjoy cooking and I know what is and isn’t healthy and good for me.

See the Northern Lights

I’m super upset this one hasn’t happened yet. I went to Iceland last year and didn’t see the Aurora Borealis but I know there’s plenty more time and plenty more places that I will have the chance to see this magical thing.

Donate my hair

I’ve just had about 6 or 7 inches cut off of my hair and I wish I had donated it but my hair was in really really bad condition. So I’ve decided to let it grow out again and once it’s at a decent length again I’ll get it cut and donate it to the Little Princess Trust.

Get a full sleeve tattoo.

If you don’t know much about me, which I know most of you won’t.. I absolutely love tattoos. I love how it’s possible to cover your skin in art work and express who you are as a person through it. I have already started my sleeve.. I have a large travel themed tattoo on my left arm and I do want to carry this on to a full sleeve, which I’ll hopefully continue this year.

Have at least £10K in savings

I’m really bad in that, I don’t have any savings.. Okay well, at the moment I have about £270 but this is something I know I need to work on. There’s no reason that I can’t save a lot more, so I will.

Run a half marathon

I’m nowhere near ambitious enough to say run a marathon, so I’ll settle for a half. Although I know that would be no easy task, especially no time soon, but I’ll get there one day.

Create a reading list for myself and complete it

Simple enough, right? Wrong. Reading is something I used to be so passionate about, I used to read books all the time as a little girl. Now though, my book reading happens very rarely and it’s definitely something I want to change. I’ll probably start out trying to read a book a month, and then hopefully switch to one a week.

Quit all social media, for at least one month

And I really do mean ALL social media. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram etc. None of it, for one whole month. Honestly I swear I just go on these social networks to waste time. This would help with my previous goal, stop social media and start reading.

Stop biting my nails, for good

My absolute worst habit that I have. I can’t seem to help it, no matter how hard I try I always end up biting my nails. I have proved myself slightly wrong as I haven’t really bit them at all for the past month or so, but that’s mainly just because I’m going to NAF on Monday to get my nails done for my holidays!

Properly explore Scotland

Like properly explore. Be a tourist in my own country, visit every nook and cranny that I can. I want to really see and appreciate every part of my country that I can. I guess what makes me want to do this even more is the fact that one of my best friends and her boyfriend are currently driving around Scotland and it’s islands and it looks incredible! Scotland is so pretty, I’m so proud to be Scottish and every time I get out the city and explore the highlands or wherever I fall in love with my country a little bit more.

Buy myself a car

This would definitely help with the exploring Scotland part. But it’s just something I really need to do, I guess I don’t want to commit to buying a car yet though because I want to travel first. Before I’m 30 though, that’s the plan anyway.

Watch the sunrise and sunset in the same place

I’ve seen plenty of sunrises in my day and even more sunsets but I’d love to just spend a full day somewhere and watch it rise in the morning and set in the evening. I can just imagine how beautiful it would be.

Take care of my mental health

This really is a very important one for me. I’ve struggled with my mental health throughout my life, although at times I’ve went years where I felt like it didn’t consume me, there’s been just as many where I’ve been on the cusp. The cusp of living or dying. I’ve been suicidal in my life and had so many suicidal thoughts, I’ve acted upon some of them but not as many as the thoughts have crossed my mind. I thought it was a chapter in my life that was finished with and then very recently I became very stressed (mainly because of work) but then other things started to come into play. Eventually I found myself walking home from work contemplating the ways I could end my life. It’s a place I hate being in and a place I want to continue to help myself evade.

Take a course

Whether it be a college course, an online course, maybe even the most random of courses ever. It doesn’t matter what, I just want to take at least one course and know that I’ve learned something else in my life.

Learn to meditate

This is one I’ve been thinking about a lot recently and I think it’s mainly to do with how my mental health has been recently. Like maybe if I meditated, maybe if I had somewhere to channel the poisonous thoughts then it would help me.

Complete a 365 day photography project

This one I have tried at least twice already in my life and have completely failed. I always forget days or weeks etc. I believe if I just persevere with it I will complete it one of these days.

Go on a hot air balloon ride

Definitely another one to conquer my fear of heights but something I really would love to do. I can only just imagine how incredible of an experience this would be.

Increase what I put into my pension plan

So something I know I need to invest more into is my pension plan. My pot of money is so little at the moment and I’ve been paying into it for 4 years.. I know it’s definitely time for me to up to my game with this and put more money away.

Make more time for my family

I spend so much time working that I never make enough time for seeing my family. I really need to learn how to take a step back from work, so that I can spend a lot more time with my family.

Become a better photographer

I say “better photographer” as if I’m already decent.. truth is I’m okay with a phone camera. I know what I think looks good and I’m pretty alright with compositions and how things should look in images it’s just a case of taking that forward and working at this a lot more.

Make more time for my blog

I have a really bad habit of maybe posting things regularly for a month or so and then I kind of fade away from the scene because I don’t make enough time to write something up and actually post it. As of right now, I’m going to work my hardest to improve on this.

Hike at least 3 Munros

This one kind of ties in with the discover more of Scotland one. Basically a Munro is a mountain in Scotland that is over 3,000ft. The most well known is Ben Nevis, there are almost 300 Munros in Scotland, so I think hiking at least 3 is definitely manageable.

Donate Blood

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years but everytime I think about doing it I’ve just had a tattoo. And then it’s a case of waiting the year before I can do it again and then I forget or I do go to give blood and it’s closed. There’s always been something. But I definitely will give blood before I’m 30.

Well there you have it, my 30 before 30.

Tell me about your list if you have one. Link me to it or even just leave a comment with some things you wish to do before a certain age. Maybe we have some of the same things on our lists. Let me know!

Thanks for popping by!

Yasmin x