The Justification of My Dirty Thirty

So coming up with my Dirty Thirty was not a list I created haphazardly. I thought very carefully and considered many options. I wanted my list to be achievable, but remain a challenge. Some also contradict each other...I want to be debt free and move out, but also have quite a bit of travel in mind.  I wanted to include things I have always wanted to do, but also to add things that might take me out of my comfort zone.  After all, things that are easy just never seem worth doing...

All of the tasks on the Dirty Thirty, with the exception of two, are tasks that can be accomplished alone. I need people for a book club, and I can't go away for the weekend with my mom without her! This was very intentional. While I hope that I accomplish all of my goals with a friend or family member by my side, I am learning that it is necessary that I am able to achieve these goals alone as needed. I love the company of others and finding adventures with my friends, however it is important to be self-reliant as well.

Each task is also something that can be accomplished on my own time, in my own time. Some events such as New Years have a very specific time frame of opportunity; however I can take the initiative to plan accordingly. Setting a goal such as getting married would not be something that I can set a time frame for. It was necessary that my goals be something I can manage. This is not in the name of control but rather in the name of realism. There are some events that I can dictate the timeframe of and others that I am happy to hand over to God to handle as He sees fit.

I was also careful to avoid adding tasks that I have already accomplished or am planning on accomplishing. For example, this summer I got my first tattoo. (That story will be shared for sure.) Also, this Sunday I will be becoming a Godmother. I am so excited and consider that event to be one of the greatest honors of my life, but I knew it was coming, and it wasn't something I could make happen, so it wouldn't fall under my definition of a realistic goal. (But that also falls under a story that will be shared!)

The goal that I anticipate taking me out of my comfort zone the most is the fine art class. While I am a "crafty" person, I have never been artistically inclined. I cannot draw or paint well, and have never really explored any media beyond those. I plan on looking into a class on throwing pottery or photography, but maybe I need to throw all caution to the wind and try painting or drawing. I will definitely need to do some investigating!

So what would be in your Dirty Thirty (or Forty or Sixty or whatever!)? What am I missing out on? What goals do you hope to accomplish?