Turning the big 3-0? What an exciting milestone! Here are 8 activities I recommend you do as you enter a new decade and chapter in your life.

Introduction 

Hooray, happy birthday! 

Turning 30 is a big milestone in our lives. It is also a perfect opportunity for self-reflection and assessing your personal growth and development thus far. 

Use this time to reflect on how much you’ve learned, and how far you’ve come. At the same time, you can look at what needs to change in your life in order to grow more into the person you want to be. 

Remember, there are so many more amazing milestones ahead – why not be intentional about them?

Here are the 8 activities to do when you turn 30.

1. Write down your learning lessons

Do you have a list of all the lessons you’ve learned in your 30 years? If not, this is a great time to take inventory of all your learning lessons.

Here are some helpful journal prompts:

• What are the top lessons you’ve learned in your life?
• What challenges have you faced and what did they teach you?
• What is the most transformational lesson you’ve learned in your life?

You don’t need to overthink this step.

Get out a piece of paper or your favourite journal and let the words flow. Let your subconscious bring up all the things you’ve learned in your life.

As you do this, you’ll uncover a beautiful list that you can save for the future. 

Why might you want to do this?

Firstly, you can celebrate yourself for all the learnings you’ve gained. These have transformed you and shaped you into the person you are today.

You can also reread this list often. As life goes on, sometimes we forget what we’ve learned. Nothing is as reassuring as reading your own thoughts and lessons on paper, reminding us of the things we have forgotten. 

This is an activity I do every year (see the lessons I’ve learned at 30). Yet, if you’re not a dedicated journaler, your 30th birthday is a perfect milestone to do this.

Related: 30 lessons I’ve learned at 30

2. Reassess your life

I’m not going to lie, turning 30 can also be filled with anxiety and dread.

Saying goodbye to your twenties is a big deal. You’re letting go of a younger version of yourself and entering an entirely new chapter.

Personally, I asked myself the tough question: Is this the life I want to keep living?

As I reflected on this question, I got the answer as a feeling in the pit of my stomach: No.

This led me to review all the different areas of my life and my life as a whole. This process revealed a lot of things about myself – from the person I want to be, the life I want to live, and my priorities as I enter a new decade.

I recommend following a similar process of reassessing your life. If you’re not happy nor fulfilled as you turn 30, there’s no better time to make a change.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is this the life you are meant to live?
• Are you fulfilled?
• How did you envision your life at 30?
• What kind of life would make you feel most empowered?

Another activity you can do is the Wheel of Life. You can assess the different areas of your life and understand if you’re giving enough balance across the board. This is a great starting point to truly dig deep and assess what is going well and what isn’t.

A book I read during this transitional time in my life was Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Not only was this book soul-soothing, but it helped me look at my life from a different perspective. One that empowered me to live my life to the fullest.

Here is my favourite quote from the book:

“You are here to decide if your life, relationships and world are true and beautiful enough for you. And if they are not and you dare to admit they are not, you must decide if you have the guts, the right – perhaps even the duty – to burn to the ground that which is not true and beautiful enough and get started building what is.”  ― Glennon Doyle, Untamed

As I turned 30, I personally burned my world down, as Glennon would say. I left an exhausting and soul-sucking job, healed myself inside and out, and started rebuilding a world that felt most authentic to me.

I am still building, but I am grateful that I simply started by reassessing my life and letting my heart lead the way.

You can do the same – build and rebuild the truest life for you.

3. Reflect on the past decade

Have you ever reflected on an entire decade?

Thought about how much you’ve really grown in 10 years?

Celebrated all the amazing things that happened?

 To take your reflection one step deeper, you can reflect on the last 10 years of your life.  Here are a few activities to help you with your reflection.

How to reflect on the last decade:

• Write a letter from 30-year old you to your 20-year old self
• Write down your favourite moments
• Document your milestones
• Create a digital or physical scrapbook dedicated to your twenties

 If you want to keep it simple, just spend some time with yourself. Pour one of your favourite drinks, put your phone away, and reflect on your last 10 years.

Smile over the good moments, be grateful for your experiences, and come to peace with the decade ending in your life.

4. Plan for the next decade

This is one of my favourite steps on this list – plan your next decade.

Imagine, you have 10 years ahead of you that you can create in any which way you desire.

 Now that you’re older, wiser, and more certain of who you are, the possibilities are endless! Take time to intentionally write down your plans, goals, and desires for your thirties.

Here are some journal prompts to get started:

• What do you want to achieve?
• What are the milestones you have to look forward to in your thirties?
• What are your goals for the next 10 years?
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
• What would make the next 10 years amazing?

Additionally, here are a few other activities you can do as you envision and plan for your next decade. 

How to plan for your next decade:

• Write a letter from future you in 10 years
• Make a vision board for your thirties
• Create a 10-year plan and timeline

Once again, if this seems like a lot, you can start by simply spending time alone to visualize the person you want to become.

This is a great starting point to get your mind thinking about the future. If you feel compelled to, write down your thoughts in your journal afterwards.

5. Let go of things that no longer fit

As you go through the above activities, you might realize there are things you want to or need to let go of to live a more fulfilling life.  

Take a hard look at your life again. Ask yourself what you want to let go of, and write them down as a list.

Let go of:

• Recurring thoughts that don’t serve you
• Negative feelings holding you back
• People that don’t make you better
• Old dreams that are outdated
• Goals that no longer matter

More than this, you can also let go of physical things that no longer match the vision you have for yourself as you enter a new decade.

Take time to declutter your space as well. By letting go of things that no longer fit, you can pave the way for new things in your life.

6. Define what success means to you

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself what success means to you?

Not the version that society teaches (you know: buy a house, have kids, climb the ladder at work…etc.) 

But instead, truly think about success, and let your heart answer.

What does success look like to you?

What does a fulfilling life look like?

If you simply answer these two questions, you might be surprised by what arises.

Personally, I realized that for myself, success means living an authentic, creative life filled with freedom and joy. 

When I compared this to my current state and everything I had worked on in the past few years – it did not match. This was a huge sign for me to not only make changes in my life, but to remember that I’m entirely in charge of my definition of success.

Choose to define success in your own terms, and keep striving towards it. Don’t let society’s definition cloud your own.

7. Redesign your lifestyle

As you get more enlightened about yourself and who you want to become, feel free to redesign your lifestyle for your thirties.  

Take everything you’ve done from the steps above – your learning lessons, your goals, and definition of success. Then design a lifestyle accordingly.

Strip away the things that don’t make sense. Pull things apart, and then put them back together more intentionally. Create a daily, weekly, monthly schedule that takes you one step closer to your big goals for this decade. 

Remember, it’s your life, your rules. Even if the changes might seem unconventional, don’t get swayed by what others might say. 

The best part about your thirties is that you can care less about what others think. Do it your way.

8. Go on a sabbatical

Every so often, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on your life and personal development. Turning 30 is a perfect time to go on a sabbatical, especially after spending several years hustling at work. 

What is a sabbatical?

A sabbatical is a period of leave from work to focus on your personal development. This can be paid or unpaid depending on your workplace. Either way, the purpose of a sabbatical is to take an extended break to zoom out and focus on yourself. 

If you have the financial means or opportunity to take a sabbatical from your workplace, I highly recommend taking advantage of it! Choose a period of time that will allow you to truly focus on yourself.

On the other hand, if you cannot take an extended break, see if you can take a few extra vacation days and call it a mini-sabbatical. 

What can I do on a sabbatical?

This is entirely up to you! What are all the things you’ve always wanted to do, but never found the time to because you were consumed by work?

Some people choose to travel, while others set up several projects they want to accomplish. You can choose what personal development looks like to you!

As a starting point, why not use a sabbatical to go through all the above activities and reflection? That could help you get thinking about your personal growth and how to make the most of your time off.

Remember, the most important thing at the end of the day is to allow yourself time to take a proper break from the busyness of life. 

Whether it’s a few days or even a full year, take time out for yourself.

Discover a new version of yourself during this time off!

Conclusion

There you have my comprehensive list of things to do once you turn 30 for your personal growth. It’s such an exciting time in your life – don’t let fear of aging, or anxiety keep you back from enjoying this moment. 

There is so much more in store – let yourself discover that! These 8 steps can help you move forward and closer to your ideal self.

I wish you luck and all my love!

Turning 30? Which activity are you willing to try?

Leave a comment below!

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