*Gasp*
Anywho.
So, if you've been around these whereabouts long enough you can probably figure out a few things about me. A.) I have dreams. B.) I'm terrified of failing. C.) A+B does not equal accomplished dreams.
No need to dwell on the items above. They've been stated many times.
Just yesterday in scrolling through my facebook feed I came upon a Jim Carrey commencement speech. The two together intrigued me, so I watched it, and I'm so glad I did. It brought out verbally exactly what I've felt inwardly for years. I'll link to the video here, but because I'm so much of a sucker for the written word, I needed to see it in front of my face. Here is what he shared:
"Many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect so we never dare to ask the universe for it. I'm saying, 'I'm the proof that you can ask the universe for it.' My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn't believe that that was possible for him. And so, he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant, and when I was twelve years old he was let go from that safe job, and our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which is that you can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love."
Now, the universe comments are a whole other blog post, but as a Christian, I believe we can ask God for the desires of our hearts, and I even believe many of those desires He instills within us. There's so much I could 'amen' in just that one minute of speech that, had I been there, they may have removed me for disturbance.
It hit home.
So - that tied in with the fact that I'm nearing 6 months until my 30th birthday (someone explain how that happened...), and I have been teetering with the thought of compiling a list of 30 things to do before I'm 30.
Many of the things on the list don't even touch the possibilities that could come to fruition in my life if I'd only allow myself to dream them and risk for them, but these items are baby steps, some maybe even insignificant, but hopefully will lay the foundation to a confidence boost in feeling as if I can accomplish something small, maybe I can accomplish something larger.
So here it is, in my last 6 months before I leave the 20's (and in no particular order)...
1.) I plan to try to blog 2-3 times weekly, barring sickness, vacation or other unforeseen circumstances. (I have to include the contingencies. If I don't, and I miss a day here or there, I've been known to throw in the towel.)
2.) Learn how to do something to help myself and help others. (ie: Change the oil in the car, jump start a car, change a tire. I'm not sure why, it's only car examples I can think of so far. If any of you have joined in life's journey with us over the past many years, you may understand why :) )
3.) I've attempted this before, but I'm going about it a bit differently this time. I'm going to accomplish a 6 month photo challenge. One photo, taken every day, and blogged at the end of the month.
4.) Tattoo. (I could spend an eternity here either a.) trying to justify myself or b.) excusing myself if it doesn't end up happening, but ultimately, it's been on the list for sometime, so we are just going to leave it at that.)
5.) Try a new art class. (When a friend finally convinced me to go try painting with her, I was shocked at two things. I liked it, and I wasn't as horrible as I thought I'd be! - Only 1 painting I've done, of many, don't hang in our house daily. - For the fun, I'd like to try a different medium. Who knows what you might like if you don't try! I may very well be able to accomplish this one in Hollywood Studies as I try my hand at animation!)
6.) Buy something off of a stranger's registry just for the fun of it. (Because doing something kind for someone else is always a win / win. Maybe I'll try to find another couple that share our names!)
7.) Originally, I had 'read the chronicles' - as in, Narnia- written on my list, and then I realized I wanted this list to be attainable and not overwhelming. So I decided that I would set to finish two in this six month time frame (I have 29 other things here, ya know?), and will finish the set out in the years to come. So for the before 30 sector - The Magicians Nephew & The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
8.) Again, we are going for success and attainability again. I need an everyday workout routine to stick to, so I'm starting with an easy set of five exercises, low reps (getting higher each week), in addition to a set amount of walking weekly. Am I going to become a professional body builder? No. Will I get stronger. Yes.
9.) 5k. Yes, you read that correctly. This is in conjunction with at least my five year old, and can be walked, ran, or crawled for all I care.
10.) I want to master five of my mom's recipes. (It's not a rare occasion that I don't think to myself, "Man, I could sure go for..." insert one of many of my momma's favorites. It's at those times that I realize that I've carried almost nothing over from my mother's kitchen, mostly because the hubs and I grew up with completely different dinner experiences and our tastes are so much different. Now that there are two kiddos involved, it's bout time they experience some of Gaga's specialties! On the menu: Gaga's Italian Beef, Peppered Steak, Chop Suey, Chicken n Dumplings, and Bean / Potato Salad - yes, I know, the last 'one' is two, but they go together quite well!)
11.) Write letters to 5 influential people. (Because it does me good to know I've not gotten to where I am by accident, and it does them well to know what they've done has mattered.)
12.) Visit a gun range... and participate. It's like the old sayin', if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Well, if you ain't packin' heat in Texas, you ain't beatin' nobody. My first step is to get comfortable with a gun in my hand.
13.) Camp Out. And yes, I mean in a tent, outside, preferably in the woods somewhere. Roast hotdogs and marshmallows, make smores, no electronics, go exploring. You know, the good ole days.
14.) Try foods I've never tried. I'm not putting a goal or a stipulation on this. I'm afraid if I say one, I'll stop at one. If I say ten, I'll feel it's unattainable, so, when given the opportunity to try something new... I may just do it.
15.) Plan a dream vacation and start saving for it, even if it's just chump change. I've already put way too much thought into this, as I expected, but my biggest decision here is going to be 'romantic or family'? If it's romantic, I want one of those over sea cabanas somewhere in the middle of nowhere. If it's family (and we aren't counting another trip to Disney in the future, a trip to NYC at Christmas-time or a cruise someday), it'd probably be an RV trek through the west. (Who AM I???)
16.) Do something spontaneous! Judging from number 15... I'm quite the planner, and I actually thoroughly enjoy planning. Half the fun of the vacation is planning it! But I'm well aware there's a thrill of dropping things spur of the moment and just doing something. So, though I obviously don't know what it is... sometime before mid-December, we're doing something spontaneous. (Can you plan spontaneity? I dunno, I think I just did. Kinda.)
17.) Tell someone 'no' without giving a reason. I'm not going to lie, I stole this from another when I was thinking about things that were really important to me, and it stuck. I'm a people pleaser by nature. Over the years I've been able to say 'no', but most of the time I feel obligated to give an exaggerated reason as to why I cannot. I'm going to feel the liberation of just saying, 'no'.
18.) Have a Mental Health Day. We've agreed to give our kids one once a semester once they are in school. So, why do I not take these occasionally? No kids. Just me. A whole day.
19.) Make a 40 Before 40 List. Because, somethings you just need more time for.
20.) Purchase something I really love that I wouldn't normally purchase. I'm not going to say this is going to be lavish. We don't do 'lavish' right now, I'm just saying that I'm not going to talk myself out of something, just one time, in the next 6 months.
21.) Attempt one DIY project. I'm thinking, maybe refinishing something? Something I can work, see and feel accomplished.
22.) Go to DISNEY WORLD! It's already on the books!
23.) Learn my cameras better. Hopefully this will be part of the 6 month photo challenge.
24.) Learn how to fix hair, and do it. This benefits not only me, but Ansley too. You'd think by 30 I'd accomplish something aside from "straighten", but that pretty much sums it up.
25.) Go to a Mavs game. This may seem menial, but I've done MLB, NFL, and NHL, and even pro-golf, it just seems fitting to get them all in in 30 years.
26.) Go have my makeup done. And have them teach me how to do it properly.
27.) Care less what others think. Which I'm getting surprisingly better at in my age. Dressing up for halloween at Disney with the kids this year and LOOKING FORWARD to it! :)
28.) Build a sandcastle with my kids at the ocean. Two accomplishments in one. I've never built a sandcastle (I know!), and I've never been with both of my kids at the beach, and neither one where they could really react to it.
29.) Journey the 'World' and learn some new things about countries I've not actually seen. This is at Disney World, of course, and traveling the countries there. We are devoting a whole day to it, we'll see how it goes!
30.) Start and make good progress on that book I've mentioned 100 times. I have no intentions of forcing it done by the end of 2014, but have high hopes for the end of 2015!
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