When it comes to life, there’s no greater cause for alarm than the act of turning 30.

Society has built up an ongoing ideal that you have to do everything before your 30, and that’s not entirely true for everyone. Indeed, many of you will have worked towards a career or strived to get married and have children, or even gone on a working holiday around the world – but that’s not everyone’s path. I, myself, have just turned 30 in the midst of a pandemic and my career is still stretched out in front of me. I’ve spent the last decade working out what my true calling is, and, while I’ve finally figured it out, I’m still a long way from hitting a pivotal point on the ladder.

And that’s okay.

On top of this, I’m yet to find my soul mate and my travel bucket list has barely been filled.

And that is perfectly okay!

Because life isn’t about careers or falling in love with the right person or knowing everything about the world. Indeed, they are exceptional goals, and they’re great to have, but life isn’t about doing the same thing everyone else is doing; it’s about doing what YOU want to do.

My Career Thus Far…

Since leaving high school, I’ve worked in retail, been a sales assistant, done admin, studied horticulture, practised the art of being a drag queen, studied journalism, worked in corporate hospitality, dabbled in photography and am now focusing on writing. But what’s interesting is that some of the things I’ve done still bleed into the life I live today. Especially with my writing. Because life is not about sticking to one thing and only doing that for the rest of your life. There’s a smorgasbord of earthly activities to do. And if you want to have a rich life, you’ve gotta do everything that piques your interests.

And right now, after years of learning about myself, I can finally settle on something that I really want to do. And that’s writing. But the sad reality is that so many people leave high school and stick to the one job and build a career out of that – which is fine, don’t get me wrong – but by the time they hit 30, too many of them decide to switch to something else they want to do.

In fact, according to Career Advice Online, “the average person will change careers 5-7 times during their working life.”

Your life will always continue to change.

The One Thing You Must Do Before 30

Live. Just live. Make mistakes, fall in love (however temporarily) or break up and savour the sweet smell of single life. Sample the world around you, visit weird places and find your sanctuaries.

The one greatest thing I learned in journalism was being curious. More than that, I was taught to develop my curiosity. Dive deep and seek out insights and new wisdom.

Be like Alice in Wonderland and push through the wild maze of life. For that is all you need to do before 30.

Hell, do it for as long as you live!

Feature image: Alex Alvarez on Unsplash