Last night, my husband and I were discussing our future. (Casual, I know.) He suggested we each make lists of goals we want to accomplish within the next ten years. Not going to lie, the idea of that freaks me out. Ten years is such an intimidatingly long time. And the idea of writing down things like, “buy a house” or “have babies” gives me much more anxiety the older I get. But since my birthday is a little less than two weeks away, I figured setting mini goals for my 25th year of life wouldn’t be the worst idea. I started my quarter-life crisis at 24 so I’m hoping turning 25 will be slightly more graceful. Here goes:
- Buy quality, not quantity. Three years ago, the idea of going into Forever 21 and blowing all my money on a huge haul of cheap outfits was so exciting. Not so much anymore. As much as I love a good bargain, I want to build a wardrobe of sophisticated, quality pieces that will last longer than one night on 6th Street (RIP to more than a few little black dresses). As I make my way through my mid-twenties, I’m finding it harder and harder to build a wardrobe that I love to wear while still being a young professional. I’m not ready to ditch ripped jeans and low-cut dresses, but I don’t want to age myself 15 years either. If you have any shopping suggestions, definitely let me know.
- Show gratitude. I know I don’t do this enough, especially to the people who I’m closest to. Shout out to my mom and husband for listening to my crazy rants daily.
- Make more time for the things you love. I touched on this a bit in my last post, but I tend to overwhelm myself with all the things I need to get done for other people and forget about myself. Reading and writing are things I’ve enjoyed since…well, since I could read and write. My goal is to read at least one book per month and write at least one blog post per week.
- Eat out less. It is always easier to pay someone else to cook your dinner after a long day at work, but it is always more expensive and usually more fattening. I’ve already started trying to plan our meals for the week in advance and we’ve done really well with it some weeks. But I know we still eat out more than we should.
- Spend less than you make each month. Such a simple concept. Why is it so hard? This goal might be difficult to balance with #1, but it needs to be done. If we want to own a house in ten years, it needs to be done.
- Educate yourself on important issues. And not just through social media. I want to watch the news more without holding my hands over my ears like a child because I don’t want to hear all the horrible things happening in the world.
- Volunteer. Dallas and I have talked about volunteering at the Humane Society or an animal rescue organization for awhile now, and we still haven’t done it. Dallas, LET’S DO IT.
- Go camping. I’m talking REAL camping: tent, fire, and pee in the woods camping. Preferably with a breathtaking view.
- Hit your goal weight, the right way. I mentioned in my last post that I’m focusing on getting to a healthier weight in a more body-positive way. I’m not starving myself or using any miracle product. But more importantly, I do not hate myself for eating a brownie or skipping a workout. I’m not letting myself get upset if I gain a couple pounds back. I’m trying to be kinder to myself. And I want to keep that up.
- Travel more. This one is a biggie for me. I have a list of places in my head that I want to visit before I “settle down” and do anything financially restricting like buy a house or have a child. I don’t want to commit to a specific place for this year, because half the fun is deciding where to go. I want to hold on to that a little bit longer.
- Get up earlier. For the love of God, it is time for me to stop sleeping so late that I have to rush out the door every morning and start my day feeling frantic and anxious. I love the weekends, not necessarily because I can sleep in if I want to, but because I have time in the morning to drink my coffee, scroll through social media, sit on my porch, feel the morning air, listen to the birds, play with my dog, and then start my day, when I’m refreshed and ready.
- Develop my career. I’m not going to put pressure on myself to make a certain amount of money or obtain a certain title by this time next year. I’m leaving this broad on purpose. I’m still young enough to hold onto the belief that if I work my ass off, keep my head down, and strive for progress, it won’t go unnoticed. As long as I’m doing all of that and staying positive, I’ll consider that goal met.
- Positive vibes only. I’m going to be really honest here. The ongoing monologue in my head tends to be sarcastic and cynical. I promise I’m actually a very hopeful and positive person deep down, but my thoughts tend to turn to the worst possible outcome first. Part of this boils back down to goal #9; I need to be kinder to myself. Mistakes will happen. Things will not go as planned. It’s okay. Think positive.
- Pray more. I have a hard time asking people for help. So it’s even harder for me to ask God for help sometimes, especially as I’ve gotten older. At the very least, the idea of surrendering control over all the uncontrollable things in my life is comforting.
- Book yourself a massage. Why do I only take the time and save up the money to do this once every three years or so? I never regret spending the money on it.
- Stand on top of a mountain. I’m looking at you, Colorado. I’m coming for ya.
- Dance more. I haven’t decided yet if I want this to be a goal where I take a weekly class, or something I do after a few tequila shots on a Saturday night. I guess either way it doesn’t matter. I danced from age 3 to age 18 in some sort of class, organization, or team. When I started college, I wanted to focus on classes, working, and traveling (and okay, maybe partying and meeting boys, too). Growing up I hated the idea of exercise. My parents tried to stick me in soccer, but running OUTSIDE?! No. Mom, I’m a ballerina, DUH. When I turned 20 and realized I can’t eat alllllthe pizza while lounging on the couch all weekend without some serious consequences, I developed a love/hate relationship with exercise. But dance has never felt like exercise to me. It was just fun. I’m ready to get back to it.
- Take more photos. Dallas is going to hate me for this one. But when we’re old and grey and can’t remember shit, he’ll appreciate it.
- Stop looking for others’ approval. This one is hard. I’m a people pleaser. I was the kid in school who never wanted to get in trouble. I noticed when I moved 300 miles away from my comfort zone that all the confidence I had in myself went out the window. I’m working on rebuilding that, and to stop valuing other people’s opinions of me so highly.
- Be more spontaneous. I’m a planner. I was the kid who thought it was fun to make lists. (She said, while making another list.) I also get anxious about new things. Neither of these things makes for a very spontaneous person. But I almost always enjoy myself when I take a chance and do something randomly, at the last minute.
- Spend more quality time with your significant other. Key word: quality. In almost six years, we’ve spent plenty of time together, but it’s easy to get into a routine where we sit next to each other and stare at our phones. He’s my best friend, and sometimes it’s important to ask each other silly questions or put our phones down and stare into each others’ eyes for a minute.
- Explore your surroundings. I’ve been in this town for almost two years, and I know I haven’t really taken the time to explore what it has to offer. It’s definitely not Austin, but I want to at least give in a chance while we’re here.
- Invest in a bicycle (or two). Dallas and I have talked about buying bikes for at least a year. We need to just save up, research Craigslist, and do it. We could accomplish exercising and spending quality time together all at once.
- Actually do the things you pin on Pinterest. Whoa, what a radical concept. It’s like a premade to-do list. I can get on board with that (see what I did there?).
- Laugh more. The more I distance myself from “teenagehood” the more childlike I’ve become. Being silly and weird and laughing at stupid things is my favorite part of adulthood. I guess because I don’t take them for granted like I did as a child. Or because I was trying so hard as a teenager not to look stupid. Either way, I miss laughing until I can’t breathe, my stomach aches, and I have to pee. I want to do it more as a 25-year-old.
jordana lee bennett 