Reflections On My 30th Birthday

I never thought I’d turn 30 during a state-mandated lockdown in the midst of a global pandemic. My 29th year coincided with 2020, which will go down in history as one of the worst years of the past several generations. In the same vein, my Saturn-return year hasn’t been a walk in the park, with plenty of challenges and setbacks happening in parallel with all the craziness in the world.

But after thinking about my personal triumphs this past year and spending a wonderful evening enjoying a surprise delivery consisting of an omakase sushi dinner and fancy birthday cake with my friends in a Zoom backdrop, I have to say I’m feeling very happy, loved, and thankful to be alive and well. My thirtieth year is the start of a new decade and some would say a new chapter in life, so I wanted to take time to organize some of my thoughts into writing to share with y’all.

20s, Fare Thee Well

When I look back at my 20s, it’s crazy to see the amount of change that happened in such a small period of time. During my 20th birthday, I was still studying for finals in college. By my 24th birthday, I’d been living in San Francisco for a year and was enjoying all the city had to offer. Over the past decade, I’ve experienced enough travel, restaurants, fun activities, and music festivals to fit into several lifetimes. I can look back at my 20s and say with confidence that I lived those years well and to the best of my ability.

Hopes for My 30s

Several friends have been asking me about my hopes and aspirations for my 30s. I’ve been sharing some of my ideas but wanted to share a more unified vision here. When all is said and done, I’d like to look back at my 30s and say that I deliberately fostered a life filled with more contentment, openness, and opportunities to make things better within my sphere of influence.

Aspiring for more contentment in my life means rejecting the ethos that more is always better. In our achievement-driven society, it’s always on to the next thing, whether that’s with careers, life stages, or material goods. While I’m not planning to become a Diogenesian hermit, I do want to cultivate a mindset that is more grateful and ready to savor what I have in the here and now. Contentment doesn’t mean stagnation – in fact, if done right, I believe it can actually encourage an openness to new things. When we’re not worried about keeping up with the Joneses or hitting the next societal milestone, we tend to be more open to the opportunities and learnings right in front of us.

That leads me to the second hope for my 30s . I want to continue to be open – open to learning, experiences, and opportunities. My 20s involved doing a bit of everything and seeing what stuck. I’m hoping that in my 30s, I’ll continue to become more deliberate with my time, focusing on my passions while still remaining open to the possibility of the new. Studies have found that humans tend to become less open to experiences as they age; musical tastes for example peak in the mid-20s and are largely set by age 30. Of course, I know this isn’t the case for everyone, and I’m determined to fight the urge to stick to the familiar, whether that’s in music or any other aspect of life.

And finally, the third aspiration for my 30s is to make things better within my sphere of influence. My early 20s were filled with existential questions about the meaning of life and how to make an impact in the world. I’ve come to realize that these questions are beside the point. I firmly believe that a good life is one that is actively spent improving everything within my own sphere. Forget saving the world – if I take small actions to volunteer at a local shelter, pick up trash in the neighborhood, or help improve the lives of the people I know, and I do those things consistently, then my actions will add up to something meaningful.

Closing Thoughts

From my 20s, I’ve found that my personal strengths include fostering an open, judgement-free environment where people feel comfortable being themselves; finding value in things that are often overlooked; and being consistent to my causes and passions. I’m hoping that in the next decade, I can better utilize these strengths to leave my sphere a better place than I found it.

As always, I’m grateful for the privilege and opportunities that I’ve been blessed with. I’m determined to continue living life to the fullest, in the next decade and beyond. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in my journey so far. Looking forward to 30, and to better times ahead!

2 Comments
  1. December 11, 2020
    • December 11, 2020