Whew! Posting daily has been a fun challenge since the big 3-0 birthday last month. I am so appreciative of Lindsay for inspiring me to do this series and most importantly, make it my own. I have a lot of goals for the next decade but today, I want to focus on Promises to my 30-Year Old Self.

I promise to…

1. Take good care of myself physically and emotionally, even when life’s responsibilities make finding “me” time seem impossible
2. Be a strong, fair and loving partner and friend to Mike, my amazing husband
3. Enjoy every moment of aunt-hood and work harder to be a bigger part of Jackson & Olivia’s adventures despite being far away
4. Learn to recognize my personal and professional stress triggers and work on ways to deal with them proactively
5. Be the best mother I can be when the time comes to expand our family (and no, we’re not expecting. Sorry all!)
6. Become more responsible financially, increase what I save monthly and take a stronger interest in our long-term financial future
7. Read more books
8. Find more time to volunteer and give back to causes we’re passionate about
9. Always find a way to travel – near or far
10. Nurture friendships, new and old, because friends are one of life’s biggest blessings and I certainly take them for granted from time to time
11. Keep my grandma’s voice and kind spirit alive in my heart and the heart of our family
12. Reconnect with my spirituality, even if it looks different from how I was raised
13. Be happy with what I have, because we have a lot
14. Worry less about what others think of me, especially with regard to big decisions in life. As long as Mike and I are happy, that’s all that matters
15. Trust my gut

I know, without a doubt, my 30′s are going to be the best years yet. Yes, we will be challenged and will surely encounter many lows with the (hopefully) countless highs. That’s just life, and I look forward to embracing the roller coaster and growing every day.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my First 30 Days of 30 series!