Am I REALLY 30?

With age comes beauty...

Oh wait

That's not right is it...
With age comes WISDOM.

Or so they say.

Doesn't seem to be that way in my case. More like, with age comes memory loss, saggy skin, fine lines and little black hairs on my chin.

I know there are many positive ways of looking at the aging process and I'm TRYING to see them :)

I do feel grateful for what I've accomplished up until now, but I guess I just want to be young and vibrant forever. I want to be able to have the energy and stamina to do many more things in my life. I've been actively working on my bucket list and actually feel like this last year I've grown tremendously. Turning 30 is a huge milestone in ones life.  At this point we all hope to have collected a certain amount of triumphs. Nobody wants to live with the "coulda  woulda  shoulda" thoughts.

Most of you know of my monthly "Life list" goals. Each month I choose one thing from my bucket list to focus on, like public speaking, photography, writing a song, ect.

This month is my month to learn how to write better. I really suck at this whole writing thing, but I'm determined to enhance my skills and get better. Turning 30 has really made me focus more on what I want to accomplish in my NEXT 30 years.

Lately I've been thinking about a bigger more lofty goal.

To write a book by the time I'm 35.

There I said it.

It's out there, I'm committed, I'm gonna make it happen.

I find it kind of scary sharing such a goal. Perhaps it's fear. Fear that I'm not good enough, smart enough, talented enough. Fear of what people will think?

Will they laugh? Will they believe in me? Will they support me?

Fear of FAILURE.

By sharing your goals with others, it holds you more accountable. It pushes you to work harder because failing in front of others is much worse than failing at something only you knew about.

It's an absolute fact, that by SHARING your goals with others, you are more likely to achieve them.
Although I may not be the most talented writer in the world, I do believe I have a special story to tell. As most of us do. It's all a matter of putting forth the effort to get the story told.

This month I'm reading a book called One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft.

For those of you who may have the same goal, or simply want to improve your creative writing skills, then this would be a great book for you. Here are a couple tips to start out.

* KEEP A JOURNAL
Journaling is the best way to start because it establishes a habit of writing. Make it part of your routine. Record the significant events in your life. Describe how you're feeling, what you're feeling and why. Write about your dreams and aspirations. Write about love. Love for God, love for your spouse, love for your children. Write about your disappointments, trials, and most importantly lessons learned.

* TIMED WRITING
Incorporate regular timed writing. Start with just 10 minutes a day. Write what ever comes to mind and don't stop writing for 10 minutes straight. Notice your surroundings and write about them in detail.

I'm really excited to dive into this new goal of mine and I hope you will all stick with me over the next 5 years to see it come to fruition.

So with all the fuss I've been putting up about turning 30, I guess it's really not that bad. I'll sure miss my twenties, but I'm excited about the story these next few decades will write.