5 Goals To Set For Yourself Before You Turn 30

Candid advice from a 31-year old

It’s easy to wake up one morning and see that so much time has passed and you are not where you had hoped to be. This is one reality many people face as they get older because they failed to make concrete plans for themselves in their younger days.

Your 20s form a very crucial aspect of your life. It is a foundation on which everything else is built. This is that time when so many young adults are trying to figure a career path, find where to live, get a life partner and make other life-changing decisions.

Call it the “defining decades” and you would be right because they contribute greatly to whom you will eventually become personally, professionally and in every other aspect of life.

If you are still enjoying your 20s, now is the best time to get things done and it can only be achieved through proper planning.

“Your 20s are a very important decade of your life where you have a good balance between freedom and responsibilities. “— Brittany Kline

The 10-year metamorphosis is not something that happens overnight. It is a gradual process which you can be in full control of, if you have a sense of direction.

The truth is, you can’t fully plan what your future will look like and have it play out that exact way. However, you can work towards it.

One way to achieve immeasurable success in your youthful years is through goal-setting. It all starts with having a mental picture of what you want to achieve.

Goal setting is like a map which navigates your direction.

The Cambridge dictionary defines “Goal Setting” as the process of deciding what you want to achieve or what you want someone else to achieve over a particular period.

As a young adult, I won’t say I had it all figured out in my 20s, but here are some of the things I learned from goal-setting before I turned 30:

1. Make a decision to start saving

No matter what your financial situation is, make a choice to always put some money aside for savings, emergency or a form of investment.

You may think that you are still young and have your whole life ahead of you, but the truth is, once you clock 30, you are already halfway towards retirement.

Having a budget is a starting point. Then you can proceed to make more financial goals for yourself.

One thing to learn from your 20s is how to manage your money and use it to build the kind of life you want.

Avoid buying things you don’t need by creating a list of priorities that work for you. Follow this list to the letter and strike out what isn’t needed.

Remember that saving money is a matter of discipline. The more disciplined you are, the better your chances of putting money aside. While spending, don’t forget to save!

As Warren Buffett says, “Don’t save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving.”

A quick way to start saving is by removing a designated portion of your income and putting it in a savings account.

The reason for saving is plain and simple: to give you a life of financial freedom. When you save, you can deal with contingencies if anything hits you unexpectedly.

“Penny-pinching and living within a budget aren’t fun, but it’s a whole lot better than finding yourself swimming in debt and stressed about money.” — Deep Patel

2. Travel

Traveling in your 20s is something worth experiencing. At this time, you may have no family responsibilities or serious commitments to tie you down.

This is a time when you have enough energy and enthusiasm to do great things.

Now is when you can be adventurous and try new things. You can easily pack your bags and do a round trip to anywhere without your decision being questioned.

Traveling is good because it brings a lot of exposure and is a sure way to connect to more people. It also teaches you to appreciate the finer things of life while gathering new experiences.

The thrill that comes with seeing and visiting new places is one to experience in one’s life-time, particularly when you are young. With traveling comes new cultural, social and personal experiences.

“If you’re lucky enough to be able to travel in your 20s, don’t think twice.”- Nicole Rupersburg

3. Live a healthy life

Health is wealth and if you continually want to thrive, you have to be alive.

Your 20s are the ideal time to develop good habits for healthy living. Take your health seriously at this time. Exercising, healthy eating, adequate sleep should be at the top of your list of self-care habits.

Don’t leave anything to chance because you feel you are still young.

Some experts advise that young people should treat their health with priority because life expectancy lengthens, depending on how well you cater for yourself.

As Joy Bauer, a nutritionist and author notes, “In your 20s and 30s, you can really lay the foundation for a long, healthy and fulfilling life.”

Making a fitness plan and sticking it to it is one way to be proactive about maintaining good health.

Reading up and practising excellent health habits will also take you far if you want to live a healthy life.

4. Learn from past failures

In our younger years, we are bound to fail a lot more than we can imagine.

Amidst the many temptations and distractions, there is that tendency to make wrong choices and bad decisions.

Call it youthful exuberance.

However, you are laying the framework for what your life will be in years to come, so it’s important to exercise care so you don’t make bad decisions that could lead to long-lasting consequences.

As a young person, your time, is one of your best assets. Time allows you to learn, re-learn and unlearn. Now is when you can make mistakes and explore new adventures.

However, whatever you do, you must learn from it.

“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”- Henry Ford

5. Find your true passion

In life, there is nothing as fulfilling as discovering what you are passionate about.

Your 20s are suitable for finding your passion.

You may ask: What is passion?

In the words of Oprah, “Passion is energy. It is the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

You can develop your passion into something bigger, particularly amazing opportunities you never knew existed. For instance, I never saw writing as anything special until I decided to put more interest into it and it is a habit I am developing each day.

The thing about passion is that various people have different things that they were/are passionate about at certain periods in their lives.

Your big ideas and dreams could change overnight.

When you finally discover your passion, keep building it and give it all you’ve got.

A lot of people don’t know what they are passionate about because they are not willing to explore new experiences and ideas.

Now is the best time to explore and know more about yourself.

“By pursuing and practicing your passion even on the smallest scale, you allow yourself to go deeper into something new.”- Hailey Miller

Final Thoughts

Your 20s will be filled with lots of ups and downs. There will be times when you will feel uncertain about what to do or whether you are on the right track.

There will also be times when you will accomplish great things. It is a combination of different emotions and decisions.

However, what matters most is your ability to thrive and have good stories to tell later in life.

Do not take this time for granted, your future self will thank you.