30 Isn't A "Deadline" Its A Starting Point

I turn 30 this year, and for some reason everyone around me, whether they are approaching it or have already passed it, seems more panicked by it than I am. 30 seems to be a "deadline" in everyone's head. The worry is always the same: is it too late to have children? Should I be further in my career? Should I be a homeowner by now?

The worries are fair, but for me, the perspective is different.

I have already been blessed with four children. I spent 6 years living in Chile, I've travelled to Mexico and Argentina (Seeing a pattern here, maybe I just love South America).

Throughout my 20s, I worked day and night in a healthcare job, gaining life experience you can’t get from a textbook. I've now finally left that behind to pursue my dreams. 30 isn't scary. For me, the 30s will be the decade I truly thrive!

You might feel you haven't "Achieved" enough, maybe you haven't travelled as you originally planned or maybe you didn't ever go for that job you've always wanted, but you can still do that!

You don't need to have a passport filled with stamps or a house full of kids to feel the same! Our 20s are like a training ground. A time in life that is meant for us to make mistakes and change our minds a hundred times, find love. Lose love. Get a job that we hate, cry and laugh with friends. It's all part of the foundation that shapes us to who we are.

There's the big question of, why will my 30s be any different?

Well, truly, it all comes down to you.

It is only now that I've realised I really don't need to prove anything to the world. I'm now ready to prove things to myself. My 30s will be different because this is where my power lies. I've spent my 20s doing many life lessons.

Working in Healthcare really taught me how fragile life can be. I spent years caring for people and many times I even spent the last moments of someone's life beside them when no one else was there. It really showed me how fragile life is. Although I will always love the job I've done, it wasn't my dream, and those lessons on life, and how fragile it was, taught me that there is no reason why any of us can't follow our dreams. There really is no "Ticking Clock" on anyone's decisions.

Leaving the security of my healthcare job wasn't a snap decision. In fact, I realised how crazy I sounded when I was trying to explain myself to my friends and family. However, being crazy isn't anything new to me. I had a plan in my head, one I'm still following now.

No, your 30s aren't going to be perfect, we will all still have ups and downs and have a whole new set of life lessons to be learnt, but it is the perfect time to start over!

When I lived abroad I learnt just how easy it is to adapt to new things and a new way of life. Of course, that process looks different for everyone, but it can be done. My entire life had changed. I've written other posts about how different it was and how I had to even change the way I used the toilet! Not an easy thing to do at all, but I did it, and I stayed for 6 years! This is a perfect example of how a person can adapt to new things.

It's scary to change your life, or to quit a job, or move away, but it really does come down to your own mindset and how you see your future. Stop doing what you expected to-do and go and do what you actually want to do!

My final piece of advice is to write everything down. Write down what your dreams are and what you want to achieve in life. Then look into how you can truly achieve it. Even if there are 50 steps before you reach that goal, write every single step down and start following them. Tick them off as you go. I find seeing things right in front of me every day is great motivation.

It can be time-consuming even completing the first step, but once you see that one little tick, you're on your way.