30 Things for My 30th Year

As New Years has now happened, I've found myself thinking more and more about what's up. This year is actually a year I've been looking forward to for a really long time, as its my 30th year on this world. With that in mind, I've certainly been doing some reflecting.

​Not to brush aside the fact that I haven't posted anything in nearly A YEAR, I feel like I've had to take some "me time" and actually do this reflecting. 

Thirty "New Years Resolutions" may seem like a lot, but they are more just reminders to myself to keep heading in the direction I was already going. 

1. Treat Myself Well

Oh, it is too easy to bend over backwards for others, but really the trick is to really treat yourself well. If only for the sole reason that you can have the bloody energy to get all the stuff you've gotta get done for everyone else. The analogy I like to use is this: the air line stewards tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself should the plane ever be going down, so you aren't dead or passed out and might just be able to help the person beside you who needs some extra help. In other words, bring on the pedicures and massages!

2. Enjoy My Life

This goes hand in hand with the above and below. If there is something you like to do, do it as much as you possibly can. Well, with limits, I suppose. But we are all gonna end up dead someday, so might as well enjoy the life we have! 

3. Do What I Want

Call it crazy, but the last time I checked, I'm in control of my life, and I will do what I want. And I won't do what I don't want to do! 

4. Drink More Water

I just need to drink more water. Enough said. We have wood heat, and I get parched. It's not overly pleasant, and there is a pretty simple solution. Drink. More. Water. 

Water Cone Night Bottle Set - $29.00
from: One Kings Lane

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5. Get Rid of Excess

Stuff. Stuff. Stuff. If I don't love or need, it's gonna be gone. Soon. After I finish organizing my closets. 

6. Laugh Often

I need to lighten up a bit sometimes. Bring on the comedy club, romantic comedies, and inviting our hilarious friends over for a dinner parties, with silly games. For the love of humanity! Like below, check out this photo of some art I got for my brother: how can you not have a huge grin on your face after seeing this one? I should have bought two or more!

|| Bought at HomeSense ||

7. Surround Myself with those who bring joy to my life

This is a bit of an easy one, since I love my family to bits. They bring me a lot of joy, they really do!

8. Do Nice Things for Others

While it's #8 on my list, it's in no way ordered by priorities. I love doing nice things for other people, especially when they don't know who did it. There are so many easy ways to be nice. Maybe it's be Canadian soul, but I truly love helping people. A really cool project I'm helping out with it the Revelstoke Pasta Feed. Free pasta. Come check it out!

9. Keep My Life in Order (even if it's slightly giving into my OCD tendancies)

Who would have thought a filing cabinet would bring such joy to my life?! It really did. In the moment I finished labeling and filing ALL of my paperwork, I felt like my life was just a little bit more on track. I'm growing up! Being now nearly 30, I guess I should be! It always seemed like the magical age to me when you really need to have you life in order. Well thank you, filing cabinet. I owe you one. Now if only someone could managed my receipts....

10. Read More Books

I'm thinking it'll look like this: something old, something new, something funny, and something to do with glue? 

Wood Alphabet Sculpture "AZ" Bookend Color: Red
from: Wayfair

11. Always Learn New Things

I feel like I'm always researching about things that I don't know about, from gardening to personality types to geography. I think once our brains stop learning, we might as well wave the white flag.

12. Go Somewhere I've Never Been

I'm open to suggestions on this one! Maui? Nicaragua? Thailand? Just remember, I turn 30 this year, so make your suggestions GOOD!!

13. Make Goals

I have always made goals since my dad first sat me down and asked me to write out my life goals. I lost the list but found it years later, with the amazing realization that I had completed most of the goals on the list. It was like it had subconsciously became part of my existence thanks to physically writing it down. I now make daily goal lists, aka "to do lists", sometimes completing them, sometimes not, but at least I can feel
Like I am doing something productive, and accomplishing my goals.

14. Surround Myself with Beauty

This is pretty easy to do when you live in a town as beautiful as where I live. To have access like this, literally in my backyard is unbelievable, really. So whether it's inside your house, or outside, I think I'll continue to surround myself with beautiful scenery. Easy enough!

15. Just Do It

All those things I've been procrastinating? Just get over myself and do it! It probably will take a while but if I think of something, I really should put it on a real, physical list. Why you ask? I really love crossing crap off my to do list. 

16. Work Hard

I've always been a hard worker, there is no reason I shouldn't continue on with this trend. Last year was one of the hardest working years I've probably had to date, with the official launch of my new business, Cookie & Beans. It's busy, but good and rewarding. Always work hard! Always hard work! 

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17. Excersize and Eat Well

I've started a daily work out routine thanks to Bree Hunter, and am 26 days in today. I figured the best time to start a typical New Years resolution was before Christmas so it really isn't a New Years resolution and I don't have to break it. But really, doing some regular excersize and eating healthy has always been important to me, and having a check list has really worked for me. Because again, I love crossing it off my list. 

18. Write a Book

I've actually started! On page 25 already. Buuuut that was about a year ago, and I've clearly come down with some serious writers block. So while it may be on the back burner, at least I've started, and started again on the blog. Yay. 

19. Travel More

This kind of goes along with #12, but it's more of going anywhere more often. Key word would be frequency. Even if I've been there before and miss it. Those places are on this list. 

20. Buy Experiences, not Things

We are hitting up Monster Trucks this weekend. Yup. That'll be an experience to remember. My son is SO excited! And that makes me excited. And to really step out of my comfort zone, I'm going to Megadeth this spring. A year of new experiences, but I rarely turn down and opportunity!

21. Make the effort to connect to other people

It may be weird to some people to know this, but I can sometimes be really shy. Most often, I'm not, but sometimes I get anxiety from talking to new people. So it can be a hard effort to connect, but I've always tried to get an E for effort on all my report cards so why change that now?

22. Enjoy my Job

This is not always the easiest thing, no matter what job I've had, but staying positive and reminding myself about WHY I'm in the field I'm in helps. Because I really do love my job, and I should really just enjoy every moment. Even on tough days, I am amazed to find out how much I really am still learning. 

Charcoal 'You Had One Job' Football Tee
from: Zulily

23. Start a New Hobby

I'm thinking I want to learn a few new hobbies. Kind of strange ones I guess, like weaving and bread making.

24. Walk the Dog. Every day

Enough said! Our high energy, loving, crazy wolf-like dog could walk all day every day. So once a day doesn't even seem like nearly enough, but with the craziness of life in general, once, at the very minimum, will have to do....

I love My Dog Dog Bed Size: Large 50" L x 40" W
from: Wayfair

Our dog, Bocephus

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25. Stay Positive

This can never be bad advice to myself. It's usually never as bad as it seems, and I just need to keep reminding myself that.

Think Happy Be Happy 2 Shower Curtain
from: Wayfair

26. Communicate Efficiently

No more of this passive aggressive crap I've tried my whole life. If I have something to say, I will do my darnedest to say it nicely, but truthfully without pretending it's all good when it's not all good. And if it's all good, then I should probably communicate with some nice encouraging words and high fives. 

27. Less Screen

Now, I see the irony in sitting behind a screen and telling you I need less screen. So be it TV or phones, I'm trying to not waste my life away sitting behind a screen. But I really do like writing, so refer back to #3.

28. Dance More

My last dance party was incredibly fun even if I did get a stiletto to my bare foot and had to walk with a limp for a week. I would do it over again. So whether it's an hour long dance party with my niece in the kitchen or a Christmas party, I just wanna dance!

29. Be More Thankful

It's just a good thing, not just at Thanksgiving. Being thankful is so key to being happy. It's easy to get down when you forget all the awesome things/ people/ places in our lives. So just remembering to be thankful for all those awesome things/ people/ places would be an instant pick me up, right? So thank you! 

Give Thanks Birch Bark Throw Pillow Size: 18" H x 18" W x 3" D
from: Wayfair

30. Pray More

Well, when everything all falls apart, at least I can still pray because, as much as I'd love to think I'm all in control of my own life, I usually am not. 

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Which one(s) do you relate best to? Any thing that you would add to a list of 30 things for my 30th year? I guess I will be 31 someday... or maybe just 30 for the next 20 years!!

​Happy New Years!

xo Jena