Turning 40
On my 39th Birthday, I sat down to write a 40 things before 40 list. (you will find it in the next blog) It turned out, thinking of 40 things I wanted to accomplish within a year was a hard thing to do. Writing things down really makes you make a concerted effort to complete them but also a list made in advance doesn't take into account new opportunities and situations that may arise as time goes by. There is a danger that focusing solely on a 'to do' list may mean missing out on some of those opportunities along the way...so even though my list fell way short of 40 things, my plan was to add to it as the year went by.
I wanted to include things that I genuinely wanted to do and not just a list of experiences for the sake of it that were a carbon copy of someone elses 'bucket list'. Some of the things seemed small and insignificant such as foods I hadn't tried, restaurants I wanted to visit or books I wanted to read but whilst I think it's important to travel outside of your comfort zone, sometimes going too exteme may make you feel as though when the task is complete you find going back to your normal life seems a bit unfulfilling. I just wanted a source of motivation to seek out fun and rewarding experiences to create great memories and make my final year in my 30's one to remember.
Seeing life as a 'story' gives you a different outlook and maybe 40 would signify the start of a new chapter.
The list also helped me to focus and made me reflect on my life so far. I was happy to embrace this major milestone, a new decade of crazy and adventurous experiences.
Have you ever done your own 'to do' list of new experiences to try? I'd love to hear your story.