30 Promises for My 30s

Posted on by Esha

If you’re interested in reading my previous blog posts with similar lists, please check out the links here, here and here.

This month, I entered a new decade. I turned 30 and, like my previous birthday-themed posts, I had intended to write “30 lessons.” However, it occurred to me that stepping into a new decade called for something different this time. People say age is just a number and, in today’s world, I understand that there is some truth in that. Yet the finite nature of our existence can sometimes force us to confront an existential crisis, even when we don’t wish to. I have been no exception. I overthink and overanalyse far too much. So, this year, I decided to make some promises to myself. This is my way of learning from my last two decades and carrying those lessons into my third one.

Here are 30 promises I’m making to myself as I enter my 30s:

  1. I promise not to let other people’s timelines rush me.
  2. I promise to say “no” without offering a speech.
  3. I promise to celebrate even my small wins.
  4. I promise to stop replaying my past mistakes and look forward instead.
  5. I promise to spend more time with people and things that give me energy, no matter how big or small they are.
  6. I promise to stop explaining my choices to people who aren’t living my life.
  7. I promise to speak up for myself, even if my voice shakes.
  8. I promise to eat, sleep, and exercise consistently.
  9. I promise to act more than I think.
  10. I promise to take more photos and videos.
  11. I promise always to look for ways to make a positive impact in people’s lives.
  12. I promise to keep hold of my inner child, no matter how old I am.
  13. I promise to stop thinking that my 20s were my “only” fun years.
  14. I promise to forgive myself faster than I forgive others.
  15. I promise to read more books and watch more films and shows.
  16. I promise to be more consistent with my skincare.
  17. I promise not to wait for the “right time” to do something I want. Action is how it comes.
  18. I promise to stop running away from confrontation, no matter how frightening it feels.
  19. I promise to manage and express my emotions better.
  20. I promise to listen to my brain and my heart, rather than to other people.
  21. I promise to be selfish with my happiness and well-being.
  22. I promise not to participate in someone else’s rat race.
  23. I promise to welcome change, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
  24. I promise to worry less, laugh more, and not take life so seriously all the time.
  25. I promise not to let someone else’s rules define me.
  26. I promise to stay true to myself.
  27. I promise not to see myself as a burden to others.
  28. I promise never to stop trying to be a better person.
  29. I promise to keep choosing myself, every single day.
  30. I promise to trust that even if I don’t know the “how,” I will figure it out along the way.

So, there you have it: 30 promises to myself as I cross the threshold from my 20s into my 30s. I don’t expect to flawlessly uphold every single one of them. After all, I am only human. But this time around, I plan to be a little less harsh and more forgiving with myself when I mess things up, to learn from those moments, and act accordingly.

Life doesn’t come with a blueprint (even though I often wish it did). Instead, it’s full of trial and error. I am both scared and excited to see what this decade has in store for me. I hope it will be more eventful than the last two. I believe it has that potential, because as an individual, I now have more control over it than I did in my teens and twenties. I may not have the blueprint, but I do have the pen.

Photo by Omer Mohammed on Unsplash

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