This site, podcast, social – whatever and wherever you found Goal Setter – all started with one small step in a normal, everyday life.

On my 29th birthday, my husband took me on a typical birthday date. During dinner my husband started listing all the things that I had done or accomplished in my 29 years of life. At the end of our conversation he asked “what do you want to do before you turn 30?”

30 is a pivotal age for people. It seems to be the age where people feel the evidence of time passing. You’re no longer just a kid, you’re an adult. And in these thoughts, we start thinking about what we have or have not done yet. Though I didn’t feel any anxiety around this concept, this question of what would I want to do before hitting 30 did stay on my mind.

After a few weeks of this question coming up in the back of my mind, I decided to write out a list just for fun and go for it! Here’s what I came up with:

• Second ear piercing
• Tattoo
• Run a marathon
• Learn to surf
• Write a book
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Public speaking
• Learn Spanish
• Learn guitar

Spoiler: I did not finish the list. But instead of feeling like a failure, I felt more accomplished than I had in YEARS.

By the time I turned 30 I had run a marathon, go that second ear piercing, learned guitar, went surfing, and wrote a book.

These were all things that I had been hoping to do for the last decade. I just always had a reason for not doing them. But by creating this list, I gave myself a new reason to go and pursue them. It was like giving myself permission to live life to the fullest.

In retrospect, I think people can get stuck thinking life is already at max capacity. By giving myself permission to pursue these goals, I was able to give myself permission to live life happier.

And now that I have seen some success in the process, I am on to round 2!

I invite you to write your own list and join me in this adventure!

xx

Rachael