Most people I know have a pretty strong opinion about birthdays. They either love them, or hate them, or pretend to not care about them. I'm calling your bluff: I believe everyone cares a little bit, but keeping our expectations low is an easy way to reduce the risk of feeling disappointed.
Many of my friends are experiencing their 30th birthday this year (2013-2014 "school year"), and I have seen mixed opinions regarding this landmark number. Some folks approach the date with extreme trepidation and distrust in our advancing age. Other folks choose to drink the day into submission, an attempt to coerce the brain into blocking out the day completely from their memory. And finally, some people are excited for the big day, the moment we celebrate 30 years on this planet. And my opinion is that each birthday should be celebrated, for not everyone is as lucky as we are to make it this far.
So that being said, I am definitely claiming allegiance to the celebratory group of people. I am a Taurus, you see, and naturally the bull wants to face the day head on. So here we go...
The Challenge:
Complete 30 new experiences within the 30 days leading up to my 30th birthday. Attempt to complete one new thing per day.
Start Date:
Friday, March 28, 2014
Finish Date:
Saturday, April 26, 2014
The List:
1. Say "yes" to everything for one full day (Friday 3/28)
2. Climb something new outside (Saturday 3/29)
3. Eat an entire raw jalapeño (Sunday 3/30)
4. Watch a movie that I haven’t seen before from the AFI 100 Greatest Films list (Monday 3/31)
5. Throughout the day, keep a list of things I'm grateful for (Tuesday 4/1)
6. Create my own mandala (Wednesday 4/2)
7. Go one full day without sugar and caffeine (Thursday 4/3)
8. Ride a mechanical bull (Friday 4/4)
9. Get CPR/First Aid Certified (Saturday 4/5)
10. Play with a pig (Sunday 4/6)
11. Wake up an hour early for work, see what happens (Monday 4/7)
12. Do a handstand for 5 seconds (Tuesday 4/8)
13. Lead a 5.11a inside (Wednesday 4/9)
14. Watch 5 new a TED talks (Thursday 4/10)
15. Get a hot dog from Pink’s in Hollywood (Friday 4/11)
16. Go one full day off the grid: no phone, iPad, computer, or TV (Saturday 4/12)
17. Run a 5K (Sunday 4/13)
18. Cook something from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Monday 4/14)
19. Finish reading a book that I had started (Tuesday 4/15)
20. Take a beginner ballet class (Wednesday 4/16)
21. Clean out closet, donate anything I haven't worn in the past year to charity (Thursday 4/17)
22. Try Ethiopian food (Friday 4/18)
23. Throw/host a murder mystery party (Saturday 4/19)
24. Go on a new hike (Sunday 4/20)
25. Get into the Pacific Ocean - eek! (Monday 4/21)
26. Choose a stranger’s Kickstarter campaign to donate to (Tuesday 4/22)
27. Go to a museum I've never been to before (Wednesday 4/23)
28. Play the lottery (Thursday 4/24)
29. Write a letter to my 40-yr-old self (Friday 4/25)
30. Celebrate my birthday at Disneyland (Saturday 4/26)
Many of my friends are experiencing their 30th birthday this year (2013-2014 "school year"), and I have seen mixed opinions regarding this landmark number. Some folks approach the date with extreme trepidation and distrust in our advancing age. Other folks choose to drink the day into submission, an attempt to coerce the brain into blocking out the day completely from their memory. And finally, some people are excited for the big day, the moment we celebrate 30 years on this planet. And my opinion is that each birthday should be celebrated, for not everyone is as lucky as we are to make it this far.
So that being said, I am definitely claiming allegiance to the celebratory group of people. I am a Taurus, you see, and naturally the bull wants to face the day head on. So here we go...
The Challenge:
Complete 30 new experiences within the 30 days leading up to my 30th birthday. Attempt to complete one new thing per day.
Start Date:
Friday, March 28, 2014
Finish Date:
Saturday, April 26, 2014
The List:
1. Say "yes" to everything for one full day (Friday 3/28)
2. Climb something new outside (Saturday 3/29)
3. Eat an entire raw jalapeño (Sunday 3/30)
4. Watch a movie that I haven’t seen before from the AFI 100 Greatest Films list (Monday 3/31)
5. Throughout the day, keep a list of things I'm grateful for (Tuesday 4/1)
6. Create my own mandala (Wednesday 4/2)
7. Go one full day without sugar and caffeine (Thursday 4/3)
8. Ride a mechanical bull (Friday 4/4)
9. Get CPR/First Aid Certified (Saturday 4/5)
10. Play with a pig (Sunday 4/6)
11. Wake up an hour early for work, see what happens (Monday 4/7)
12. Do a handstand for 5 seconds (Tuesday 4/8)
13. Lead a 5.11a inside (Wednesday 4/9)
14. Watch 5 new a TED talks (Thursday 4/10)
15. Get a hot dog from Pink’s in Hollywood (Friday 4/11)
16. Go one full day off the grid: no phone, iPad, computer, or TV (Saturday 4/12)
17. Run a 5K (Sunday 4/13)
18. Cook something from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Monday 4/14)
19. Finish reading a book that I had started (Tuesday 4/15)
20. Take a beginner ballet class (Wednesday 4/16)
21. Clean out closet, donate anything I haven't worn in the past year to charity (Thursday 4/17)
22. Try Ethiopian food (Friday 4/18)
23. Throw/host a murder mystery party (Saturday 4/19)
24. Go on a new hike (Sunday 4/20)
25. Get into the Pacific Ocean - eek! (Monday 4/21)
26. Choose a stranger’s Kickstarter campaign to donate to (Tuesday 4/22)
27. Go to a museum I've never been to before (Wednesday 4/23)
28. Play the lottery (Thursday 4/24)
29. Write a letter to my 40-yr-old self (Friday 4/25)
30. Celebrate my birthday at Disneyland (Saturday 4/26)
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