Your 30s are a strange time in life. You’re wiser, you have a little more money (hopefully), and you probably have a better idea of what you’re looking for in life. But it’s also a time when a lot of us get risk-averse. We’re nervous about failing or falling behind.
In hindsight, most people’s 30s would have been the best decade to make some risky decisions, take some leaps of faith, and stop caring about being perfect. These are some risks we should all have taken in our 30s, but hopefully still have time to take now.
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Changing careers
People stay in jobs they hate because they are too scared to leave it all and start again. At 30s, you’re still young enough to change your mind and be successful at what you want to do, but you are also old enough to have some experience behind you.
Traveling solo
It’s so easy to go travelling alone in your 30s. You have money of your own, you are confident enough to trust yourself, and you no longer need to ask anyone for permission or time off.
Starting a passion project
We all have some project or idea we keep putting off because “there’s no time.” But your 30s are the sweet spot. You still have the energy and creativity, and you haven’t been swallowed completely by work or family yet.
Saying how we really feel
By the time you are 30, you should know yourself well enough to know what you like and what you don’t. But for some reason, we tend to hold back when it comes to relationships, friendships, and work, out of fear of confrontation or upsetting people.
Investing money earlier
You don’t need to have millions to start investing. If you had invested $100 every month in your 30s, you could be looking at some seriously nice life-changing money in your 50s and 60s.
Leaving toxic relationships sooner
By the time you’re 30, you’ve probably seen enough patterns to know exactly what is healthy and what isn’t. But people-pleasers of the world, please stop wasting your time with people or relationships that end up sucking you dry. You will thank yourself.
Taking care of health proactively
It is easy to think that you are fine in your 30s and shrug off some of those little warning signs of health in your life. This is the time of life when the little warning signs kick in, so you need to be extra proactive with your health to avoid more serious problems further down the line.
Learning to say no
Some people are people pleasers, and they tend to carry on being like that in their 30s. You need to be able to say no to people without feeling guilty, even when it is something they want you to do. You are not being selfish, you are just saving time and energy for yourself.
Moving to a new city
Your 30s are one of the last super-flexible windows to just go somewhere new. Before mortgages, kids, or deep roots, it’s your chance to try life somewhere different and see what happens.
Spend more time with family
Too many people in their 30s are worrying about climbing up the career ladder, going after promotions and getting richer, and they forget to spend time with the people they love. Family and friends will be the only memories you have left by the end of your life, not the late nights in the office.
Learn a new skill
Just because you have not started playing guitar, drawing, or coding does not mean you never can. You are not too old, and at 30, you will be better at actually sticking with it rather than giving up when things become hard.
Not being so scared of failure
Failure in your 30s is NOT the end of the world, so you shouldn’t let it be a big, paralyzing thing in your life. I wish more people were willing to take risks and fail and just start again, rather than obsess over it.
Taking time off without guilt
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Way too many of us burn ourselves out by convincing ourselves that “pushing through” is a badge of honor. So many of us keep pushing through exhaustion in our 30s, but looking back, we wish we’d let ourselves rest without feeling bad about it.
Making bold financial moves
Whether it’s negotiating a raise, buying a home, or investing, the 30s are a prime time to start making smart financial moves. Waiting too long just makes it harder later.
Letting go of perfection
Perfectionism wastes time and energy. A lot of us wish we’d realized sooner that “good enough” is often more than enough and that life is way more fun when you stop overthinking every detail.
Worrying less about what other people think
When you’re in your 30s, you can still feel the need to always look your best or be seen as “put together” for the benefit of other people. But most people aren’t really paying attention to what we look like or do. We wish we hadn’t cared so much and paid more attention to what makes us happy.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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