25 Things to Do Before I'm 30
Tomorrow on May 1, 2014, I will officially say goodbye to young adulthood and hello to my life as a real live, actual grown-up. I've loved the past 24 years, and I pray for many more to come. That being said, there are a lot of things for me to accomplish before I turn the big 3-0. Lord, I need strength because I'm already having a quarter life crisis!! Anyway, my friend is doing something like "25 Thoughts Until 25" where she posts something she finds profound every day on Facebook until her 25th birthday. I've decided I would make a list of 25 things I want to do before I turn 30. Some of them are serious endeavors, others little more than silly fantasies. But they all belong to me. So, here goes!!
1. Complete my dissertation and receive a Doctorate of Psychology - I'm tired of being in school, and I'm ready to hang this last degree up, as well as my "being a student" card. However, I know all this work will be more than worth it when I get to the finish line!
2. Visit West Africa - I have always been interested in seeing where my ancestors come from. Given what we know about history, they are most likely from that area. I want to see the "Door of No Return," the docks where the ships left with our people on them... I want to see the caves where they held them. I want to stand in that place.
3. Organize, host, and speak at a young women's conference - There is a such a soft spot in my heart for young women. I have a really strong need to help ladies to encourage, show love, and hold one another up. I'm ready to let my light shine and light someone else's candle as well.
4. Put a down payment on a house - Ownership means no one can take something from you. I would LOVE to be able to take that first step before I'm 30.
5. Write, publish, and sell a book - There have been ideas and stories pouring out of me for years. It's not one of my obvious gifts, but it is there, and I want to share it.
6. Grow my natural hair to the middle of my back - Anybody who knows me knows that I am obsessed with my hair. With a little time, a lot of care, and help from God, I'm GONNA be "long hair don't care"!
7.Go on a mission trip - I went to North Dakota to an Indian reservation once, and that experience, what little of it I remember, was very rewarding. I would love to go now that I truly understand the power of ministering to those less fortunate. South America? Europe? Asia? Canada? Let's gooo!!
8. Teach - I'm not sure what I want to teach, or how long, or who I want to teach, but standing in front of a class and sharing ideas and knowledge and teaching my students to do the same is going to be amazing!
9. Swim with dolphins
10. Cage dive with sharks - There's a daredevil inside of me dying to get out!
11. Become a licensed Evangelist Missionary - I love God's Word, and I want to share it. The Bible says to study to show yourself approved, and I want the paperwork to show that I have.
12. Create my own hair creams and gels, deodorant, and face wash, and sell them to people who are too lazy to do it themselves - I mean, somebody's gotta do it, right? Why can't I get in on a little bit of that action?
13. Visit and spend time with each and every member of my family - The thing with having a big family is that there's often a lot of ground to cover. My cousins and I are discovering it's a lot harder to keep in touch now that we're adults. But that in no way shape or form means that I'm giving up!
14. Put the wheels in motion to start a private practice - Hey, gotta use that degree somehow, right?
15. Volunteer at a women's shelter - My other heart goes out to women who have been battered and/or abandoned with children with little options. I definitely intend to help.
16. Read EVERY BOOK in the Bible, cover to cover - I've read almost every book, and I know a lot of scriptures. But I definitely intend to read from the Beginning (Genesis) to the end (Revelation) in order, and with a true understanding.
17. Visit the Grand Canyon
18. Travel to Ireland, Ethiopia, Japan, and Australia
19. Explore the concentration camps in Germany and Poland
20. Counsel teenage girls dealing specifically with abortion and adoption
21. Establish or participate in the establishment of mental health facilities within low-income and minority communities - Our people are suffering in silence, and it's killing us. I don't believe I pursued this field in vain, and I intend to use it for the betterment of EVERYONE, not just those society deemed as deserving of it.
22. Go on a talk show - Nothing wretched (origin of the word "ratchet," people!) like Maury or anything like that... but once my book is published and I've started my clinic and begun to teach at the university level (all at the age of 29), I think people should start hearing what I have to say lol
23. Record an album of hymns with my family - My grandfather left us a serious legacy, and it would be such a waste if we didn't pass it on.
24. Start paying my parents back - There is absolutely NO WAY, if I worked for the rest of my entire life and 2 more lives that I could pay them back for the love, lessons, financial, emotional, and spiritual support that they have given me over the years, but if I can do whatever it takes to make sure that they can live their lives as comfortably as possible, there's absolutely NO WAY I won't try.
25. Be closer to God - This one was easy. There is no way to ever truly conceptualize the awesome wonder of God. And the older I get, the more I grow in Him, I more I am amazed by His glory, His beauty, His unconditional love and compassion. Who wouldn't want more of that?
Well, folks, there it is. 25 years, and I'm only just beginning. One of these days, I'll be able to look back and say that I lived a life that was full, free, and satisfying. Hopefully some of you will be saying the same thing!
1. Complete my dissertation and receive a Doctorate of Psychology - I'm tired of being in school, and I'm ready to hang this last degree up, as well as my "being a student" card. However, I know all this work will be more than worth it when I get to the finish line!
2. Visit West Africa - I have always been interested in seeing where my ancestors come from. Given what we know about history, they are most likely from that area. I want to see the "Door of No Return," the docks where the ships left with our people on them... I want to see the caves where they held them. I want to stand in that place.
3. Organize, host, and speak at a young women's conference - There is a such a soft spot in my heart for young women. I have a really strong need to help ladies to encourage, show love, and hold one another up. I'm ready to let my light shine and light someone else's candle as well.
4. Put a down payment on a house - Ownership means no one can take something from you. I would LOVE to be able to take that first step before I'm 30.
5. Write, publish, and sell a book - There have been ideas and stories pouring out of me for years. It's not one of my obvious gifts, but it is there, and I want to share it.
6. Grow my natural hair to the middle of my back - Anybody who knows me knows that I am obsessed with my hair. With a little time, a lot of care, and help from God, I'm GONNA be "long hair don't care"!
7.Go on a mission trip - I went to North Dakota to an Indian reservation once, and that experience, what little of it I remember, was very rewarding. I would love to go now that I truly understand the power of ministering to those less fortunate. South America? Europe? Asia? Canada? Let's gooo!!
8. Teach - I'm not sure what I want to teach, or how long, or who I want to teach, but standing in front of a class and sharing ideas and knowledge and teaching my students to do the same is going to be amazing!
9. Swim with dolphins
10. Cage dive with sharks - There's a daredevil inside of me dying to get out!
11. Become a licensed Evangelist Missionary - I love God's Word, and I want to share it. The Bible says to study to show yourself approved, and I want the paperwork to show that I have.
12. Create my own hair creams and gels, deodorant, and face wash, and sell them to people who are too lazy to do it themselves - I mean, somebody's gotta do it, right? Why can't I get in on a little bit of that action?
13. Visit and spend time with each and every member of my family - The thing with having a big family is that there's often a lot of ground to cover. My cousins and I are discovering it's a lot harder to keep in touch now that we're adults. But that in no way shape or form means that I'm giving up!
14. Put the wheels in motion to start a private practice - Hey, gotta use that degree somehow, right?
15. Volunteer at a women's shelter - My other heart goes out to women who have been battered and/or abandoned with children with little options. I definitely intend to help.
16. Read EVERY BOOK in the Bible, cover to cover - I've read almost every book, and I know a lot of scriptures. But I definitely intend to read from the Beginning (Genesis) to the end (Revelation) in order, and with a true understanding.
17. Visit the Grand Canyon
18. Travel to Ireland, Ethiopia, Japan, and Australia
19. Explore the concentration camps in Germany and Poland
20. Counsel teenage girls dealing specifically with abortion and adoption
21. Establish or participate in the establishment of mental health facilities within low-income and minority communities - Our people are suffering in silence, and it's killing us. I don't believe I pursued this field in vain, and I intend to use it for the betterment of EVERYONE, not just those society deemed as deserving of it.
22. Go on a talk show - Nothing wretched (origin of the word "ratchet," people!) like Maury or anything like that... but once my book is published and I've started my clinic and begun to teach at the university level (all at the age of 29), I think people should start hearing what I have to say lol
23. Record an album of hymns with my family - My grandfather left us a serious legacy, and it would be such a waste if we didn't pass it on.
24. Start paying my parents back - There is absolutely NO WAY, if I worked for the rest of my entire life and 2 more lives that I could pay them back for the love, lessons, financial, emotional, and spiritual support that they have given me over the years, but if I can do whatever it takes to make sure that they can live their lives as comfortably as possible, there's absolutely NO WAY I won't try.
25. Be closer to God - This one was easy. There is no way to ever truly conceptualize the awesome wonder of God. And the older I get, the more I grow in Him, I more I am amazed by His glory, His beauty, His unconditional love and compassion. Who wouldn't want more of that?
Well, folks, there it is. 25 years, and I'm only just beginning. One of these days, I'll be able to look back and say that I lived a life that was full, free, and satisfying. Hopefully some of you will be saying the same thing!
Sounds good. Make it so.
ReplyDeleteI'll buy the products so lets get it!!! 25 is the year!
ReplyDelete