three-zero

call it a to-do list….or list of reasonably achievable goals in a given time period… but i kind of did it! i almost completed my ’30 before 30′ challenge (video blog post being filmed tomorrow!) especially turning 30… saying goodbye to your crazy 20’s…starting a new chapter with more maturity and wisdom. EHHHH!   yes. definitely more mature and wise.

sitting here on the eve of my birthday, i’m thinking back to significant events in my life so far. i’m remembering a teacher we had who gave an assignment. she had us write a letter to ourselves as high school seniors. i’m pretty sure we were maybe in junior high at the time and we were to write our hopes and dreams for graduating. and to our surprise, there she was handing out our letters while we waited anxiously in the practice gym before walking in to graduate. i have no idea what my letter said… or if i achieved any of my junior high ‘dreams’ for myself. the point is that i remembered it and it affected me to have goals in general. that last minute panic of “oh crap! have i entirely wasted my time at beatrice high school?! what experiences am i taking away?! can i survive in the real world if i failed at anything written on this piece of MEAD notebook paper?!”  but seriously….how neat and unexpected that was. success and goal achieving is such a personal thing, isn’t it? you’ve gotta look out for number one (….that means YOU). without your health, own peace of mind, etc… you’re really can’t achieve anything for you, your family, let alone, society as a whole.

not too long ago i read an article in Professional Photographer by Kimberly Wylie titled ‘is bigger always better?’ brilliant article. she talks about success and how it is measured. about quieting your pride and listening to your heart. i 100% agree with kim on how she measures her success:  learning to be proud of what you do; honesty and honoring your heart; being happy and having a smile on your face; bringing smiles to other’s people’s face; making a living for the lifestyle i want to lead; having time to do the things i love with the people who mean the most; waking up excited about the day; and most of all….BALANCE.

that’s what I’m talking about, willis. good stuff. i’d say i can be happy about turning 30 now. i’ve had success with aging so far. : )