Everything comes back around.
When I was in my early 20’s, I was stuck in a bit of a rut.
There were so many things I knew that I wanted to do, but I felt stuck in an endless cycle of not knowing where to start or where to go, ultimately ending up no where, and feeling like I was “tabling” life for later. Telling myself I would do certain things, take on new adventures, accomplish tasks – some other time.
It left me feeling like I was ultimately getting nowhere while being desperate to be somewhere.
Enter, the 25 Things List.
My best friend told me she was starting a life project, in which she created a list of 25 items she wanted to complete before she turned 25. This immediately spoke to me, and I knew I had to do it.
So I made my own list!
The plot twist is that while I did not complete the entire list before I turned 25, it changed my life entirely. It gave me structure, it helped me develop my own way of mapping out life goals, and it gave me entirely new adventures and perspectives I would have never gained without embarking on that journey.
I’ve been eternally grateful that I decided to make that list, and once I turned 25, I decided that I would one day start a 50 before 50 list. In fact, I started drafting a little list of what I might want to put on it, almost immediately after completing my 25 Things List.
It’s crazy to think that it’s only been 5 years since I turned 25 – it seems like everything and also nothing has changed. And that’s why we’re here today.
Since I turned 25, the world and myself have both changed in ways I would have never predicted. I feel like a completely different person than who I was at 25, and yet there are many ways in which I see myself falling into the same cyclical ruts.
And, since my 25 Things List was a great way to get myself serious about breaking out of previous ruts I’d found myself in, I’ve decided to begin this process all over again with my 35 Things List.
The stakes are higher this time, with 10 more items on the list, however I’ve started my list right at 30 this time, so I’ll have five years to complete the list, versus the 2.5 years I had with my previous list.
The real spark for this list is that I want to publish my own writing, and while I dwell on this every single day of my life – I have yet to do it.
By giving myself a deadline, and in creating a neurotic little spreadsheet on how I am going to accomplish my 35 Things List over the next five years, I’m giving myself the structure, motivation, and timeline to accomplish one of my lifelong goals – instead of tabling it for later.
This time around, I sat down with a blank notebook and a few felt-tipped pens, and wrote down every single thing that I want to do in my life, from big to small. From super-ridiculous and frivolous to nearly-impossible and serious. In the end, I wrote down 150 things. There’s a lot of world out there to see, as it turns out.
I’m sure I’ll continue adding to this greater list of things I’d like to do, but for now, I’m focusing on just 35. When I made my final selection for the next five years, I picked some of the items that had really been needling at me over the last few years of my life – things that I felt like I simply could not move on from if I did not accomplish them.
And then, to keep things fun, light, and feeling achievable, I added in a few silly things and a few things that were pretty easy to accomplish.
Gotta keep some balance!
You can find the full list here.
The major items are self-publishing my own book of poems, FINALLY doing the trek to Mount Everest Base Camp (a carry-over from my 25 Things List), paying off my student loans, getting Italian citizenship, and going on a National Geographic trip. Oh, and buying my own home.
Now you see why we need a few lighter items to round out the list. They can’t all be international adventures (no matter how much I’d love for them to be).
And – the good news! We’re off to a great start. It’s only February in my first year of the project, and I’ve managed to cross off four of the items on the list. Were they all easy to accomplish? Of course they were, I did them in two months. Did it give me a huge amount of satisfaction to know I’ve already checked four items off early on, thus giving me a feeling of success and motivation as I begin the project? Of course.
So let’s talk about the four things I’ve checked off my list already.
9. Do a 24-hour read-a-thon.
I have ALWAYS wanted to do this. I don’t know why I haven’t? Maybe technically I have without thinking about it? However, in January, the third book in one of my favorite series came out: Onyx Storm. I wanted to read the first two books in the series prior to reading the third book, so I spent most of January getting caught up and annotating each of the books to a conspiracy-theory-level. I spent the entire weekend leading up to the release reading, so I actually did a nearly 48-hour read-a-thon. What can I say? I’m an overachiever. I repeated the process again when Onyx Storm actually came out, and did another 24-hour read-a-thon. It was super fun! I got my favorite snacks, settled in, and read until I could no longer keep my eyes open, taking an obvious break to sleep, but getting right back to reading in the morning. 10/10 recommend.
16. Get a hot stone massage.
Another thing I’ve always wanted to do, but was scared to do for some reason! I booked an appointment for the end of January, and it was amazing! I would definitely love to do one of these again in the future – probably not every time I get a massage, but something to try every now and then. They obviously heat the stones to the perfect temperature, so they weren’t burning-your-skin-off-hot, but they were very relaxing! Another easy one off the list, but a great relaxing way to kick off the year. To be honest, January was a hectic month, so I was glad to have worked this one in.
21. Do a HausWitch box.
When I visited Salem for Halloween a few years ago, I stopped into a shop called HausWitch and fell in love. The store has the cutest, witchiest items, and the BEST smelling candles. I’m obsessed with them. They have a candle called the Sirens which in particular is always calling my name. However! They also carry mystery boxes, which send you a surprise candle, stone, and 3-tarot card reading. They also have a few other themed boxes that I’d been wanting to try for awhile, but a love a good mystery and some spontaneity, so I decided to order their mystery box. I’m burning the candle from that box as we speak! Type! Read! Whatever this is!
The candle smells amazing – not surprised. I wish I knew which scent it was, but there’s no label on it, so it truly is a mystery! It smells incredible though – both fresh and rich. I also received an opalite for my stone, which is so pretty. All in all, I’d call it a success.
27. See R + J on Broadway before it’s gone.
Look. This one was a bit like playing with fate. I took a little books and Broadway weekend to New York last fall (will share more later!) to catch a Broadway show I simply HAD TO SEE (again, more to come about this) and while I was there, I very much wanted to catch the iconic R + J show, knowing it was only going on for a limited time. I’d spent quite a bit on tickets to the show I’d flown to New York to see, so I told myself I would try to catch tickets to R + J last minute in case they had them at a reduced price closer to the show. They simply did not even have a seat available before I flew to New York! I kept telling myself I was so excited to see the other shows I got to see (which I totally was) that it didn’t matter that I couldn’t catch R + J. However, as time went on, I knew I was going to regret not catching R + J if I didn’t go back, so I decided to put it on my list.
I don’t often have regrets, but sometimes I can just tell that something is going to haunt me if I don’t check it off the list! This was one of those things.
Fortunately for me, I have some of the best friends ever, and one of my oldest childhood friends surprised me with a trip to New York for my birthday in January, and she took me to the show! I was prancing around the city, so absolutely stoked to see the production! And it was AMAZING. A true Broadway icon. The actors were amazing, the vibes were immaculate, and the theatre-in-the-round nature of the show really lent itself to the immersive experience. Loved every minute of it. Shoutout to my friend for helping making one of my 35 Things possible!
From here, I’ll be focusing on self-publishing my own book of poems. I’m exciting to be jumping back into a list-based life project, and can’t wait to see where this round takes me.
Many more adventures to come, as always!
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