30 for 30 (and Beyond): How My 30s Turned Out Differently—Yet Beautifully

When I turned 30, I started a list of goals that I called — my “30 for 30.”

The concept was for me to write down thirty goals, dreams, and intentions for the decade ahead. I can still remember how hopeful I felt writing them down — as if capturing the blueprint of who I wanted to become. I was full of energy, ideas, and faith in what my 30s would look like: career milestones, travel, family, balance, and personal growth. You can find my list in the "About Me" section of my website.

Now, eight years later at 38, I find myself looking back at that list — and smiling. Because life didn’t exactly go according to plan. :)

Some of those goals came true. Some changed. And a few... well, life had other ideas.

But that’s the beauty of growing older — realizing that what we thought we wanted often transforms into something deeper and more meaningful.

The Power of Setting Intentions

I still believe there’s something sacred about writing your goals down. That 30 for 30 list represented my hope, direction, and belief in possibility. It helped me dream boldly and stay intentional.

Some of those dreams became reality — I advanced in my career, earned a promotion, grew in confidence, became a wife, and later, a mom. I built a home and a life filled with love and laughter.

But what that list couldn’t capture was how those experiences would change me. How marriage would teach me about patience, compromise, and forgiveness. How motherhood would stretch my heart beyond measure. How faith would anchor me through seasons I never saw coming.

The Twists I Didn’t Plan For

If someone had told me at 30 what my 30s would actually hold, I’m not sure I would’ve believed them. There were moments of deep joy — the first time I held my child, a new career door opening, finding peace in sobriety, reconnecting with God in ways I hadn’t before.

But there were also valleys: heartbreak, loss, disappointment, and seasons where I questioned my strength.

And yet, through it all, I saw God’s hand — gently guiding, redirecting, and sometimes breaking things apart only to rebuild them stronger.

I prayed for clarity, but He gave me lessons.

I asked for control, and He gave me surrender.

I thought I was chasing a list of goals, but really,

I was becoming the woman who could handle whatever life brought.

Redefining Success

Somewhere along the way, I stopped measuring success by checked boxes and started seeing it in moments of peace, gratitude, and growth.

Now, my goals look different.

They’re less about achieving and more about becoming.

Becoming more grounded.

More compassionate.

More faithful.

More present in the life I already have.

Because sometimes, the greatest success is learning to trust that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be — even if it doesn’t look like the plan you wrote at 30.

A Note to My Younger Self

To the woman who made that 30 for 30 list:

Keep dreaming.

Keep writing.

Keep believing.

But also know — God’s plans will be different, and better, than the ones you imagine.

There will be seasons that break you open and seasons that fill you with joy so pure it takes your breath away. You’ll grow in ways that lists can’t capture. You’ll find strength you didn’t know you had. And you’ll learn that surrender isn’t giving up — it’s trusting that His plan is unfolding, even when you can’t see it yet.

Still Becoming

I never did finish that list — there are still five goals unwritten. But maybe that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

Because at this point in life, I’m learning that not everything needs to be planned.

Some dreams are meant to unfold naturally — in God’s timing, not mine.

Maybe those last five goals aren’t meant to be written.

Maybe they’re meant to be lived.

Author's Note

If you’ve ever looked back at a list, a vision board, or a dream you once had — and realized life took you in a completely different direction — I hope this reminds you that it’s okay.

Your path doesn’t have to look like your plan to be beautiful.

There’s purpose in the detours, wisdom in the waiting, and grace in the becoming.

So wherever you are in your own story — 25, 30, 38, or beyond — I hope you keep dreaming, keep trusting, and keep leaving room for God to surprise you.

Because He will… and it will be better than anything you could have written down.