TheThunderbird.ca from UBC journalism » Almost 30 and Counting: How to seize the day http://thethunderbird.ca News, analysis and commentary on Vancouver Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:48:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Looking ahead http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/22/looking-ahead/ http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/22/looking-ahead/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:08:42 +0000 Lara Howsam http://thethunderbird.ca/?p=9243 By Lara Howsam
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Turning 30 is not an ending by any means – there are lots of great things ahead after that milestone is reached.

CBS 60 Minutes journalist Andy Rooney wrote an about women over 30. He lists off several reasons why he “values women in their thirties most of all.”

“A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of 30 give a damn what you might think about her or what she’s doing.”

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survey carried out by Willow Water in the United Kingdom which claimed four out of ten women felt most beautiful at the age of 32.

“The 38 per cent who said they felt most attractive in their early thirties attributed it to the confidence gained from experience, an active love life and eating and drinking sensibly.”

This points out that turning 30 allows a person to turn over a new leaf and face the days ahead with confidence.

“You look in the mirror and don’t see everything you want to change. You see the things you actually like. It’s a glorious time of not trying to ‘escape’ anymore. You’ve finally started making some solid plans!!”

One female friend, who hit the 30 mark last year said that turning 30 has allowed her to trust her instincts more.

“One of the best lessons I learned before I turned 30, was to truly trust myself,” she said. “Trusting my own judgment – my own heart – and who I am as a person is my biggest accomplishment to date. It was also the hardest thing I’ve ever done… by far! But I’m so much happier because of it.”

The point is whatever age you are it is important to set goals, trust your instinct and follow your heart.

Seize the day.

]]> http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/22/looking-ahead/feed/ 0 Love and Marriage…before 30? http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/21/love-and-marriage%e2%80%a6something-people-want-before-30/ http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/21/love-and-marriage%e2%80%a6something-people-want-before-30/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:22:51 +0000 Lara Howsam http://thethunderbird.ca/?p=8939 By Lara Howsam

In asking people what they want to do before they turn 30 there have been some similarities in the responses – people want to travel, people want to complete their education and they want a steady well paying job.

What people haven’t said is – marriage.

“Usually by the time you’re thirty you would want to be on your career path, have a house or nice apartment, be with someone you love and ultimately start a family,” Twenty-four year old Avery Haug said. “But, you could point out that everyone is different and that there are varying opinions of what life should entail.”

Maybe this is what is so scary about turning 30 – you are expected to “have it together.”

But are expectations of what it means to “have it together” changing?

Haug is right everyone is different, but according to the average age of marriage is on the rise.

Source: Statistics Canada. Mean age and median age of males and females, by type of marriage and marital status, Canada, provinces and territories, annual.

In an in The Huffington Post by David Wygant he says that people should wait until after they are 30 to get married.

“You are not ready to get married until you have first gotten to know yourself. That is what your 20s are all about.”

Wygant goes on to say that “I really and truly believe that people should not get married until they hit the age of 30. By that age, people are older and ready for it (whether that means they have had enough relationship experience or “sewn their wild oats” or whatever it might be).”

CBC that in 2000 the average age of brides hit the over 30 mark; with the groom typically being two years older than the bride.

The CBC in-depth report conducted in 2005 said that “in 2000, first-time brides were 31.7 years old, while grooms proclaimed their first marriage vows at an average age of 34.3. Only two decades earlier, women and men were 25.9 and 28.5 years old, respectively, when they got married.”

According to the CBC report Statistics Canada attributes the rise in the average age of marriage to greater economic opportunities for women and growing popularity of unions.

This makes sense to me – at 26 I am concentrating on receiving my Masters degree in Journalism and, at least for now, that takes all of my focus.

I am pursuing something that I love – for me.

I believe that marriage is in my future but it is not something that I stress about, or put a time line on.

I do however want to be on my career path before I blow 30 candles out on that birthday cake – the rest will come!

  • Click to see 30 reasons not to get married before you turn 30
]]> http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/21/love-and-marriage%e2%80%a6something-people-want-before-30/feed/ 1 What do YOU want to do before you turn 30? http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/19/what-do-you-want-to-do-before-you-turn-30/ http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/19/what-do-you-want-to-do-before-you-turn-30/#comments Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:59:02 +0000 Lara Howsam http://thethunderbird.ca/?p=8848 By Lara Howsam

I entered the responses of people into a . Click on the picture to see the visualization of what people want to do before they turn 30.

Here are some of the responses:

  • Visit, at least, one of the of the world and 1 of the ! (female, 23)
  • Sky dive! (male, 15)

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  • Get a real job. (female, 25)
  • Travel to every continent. However, the way my student loans are ripping away my bank account I might have to wait until my pension comes in for that. (female, 26)
  • Move to California. (female, 22)
  • I want to be on Oprah…but seriously I do! (female, 24)
  • Retire! (male, 27)
  • I want to backpack all over Europe before 30. (female, 25)
  • Get married, and open a restaurant where you can actually get organic, healthy food! (female, 24)
  • Finish all three of my degrees - Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, and Masters of Social Work. (female, 25)
  • I'd like to graduate, and maybe find myself - that’s deep! (male, 26)
  • Run with the bulls in Spain, feed a , ride a bull, and run a marathon (male, 24)
  • Have my student loans paid off. (female, 24)
  • I want to find a career I am passionate about - a career that allows me to stop regretting giving up on my first passion of dancing. I want to learn how to speak French! I want to find someone the absolutely PERFECT gift, and watch them open it! (female, 25)
  • , Do my MBA in California, Surf in Indonesia, and Visit India (female, 26)
  • How about not turn 30!? (male, 27)
  • Come what may! (male, 24)
  • Have a job where I make money. (female, 22)
  • Complete my education. (female, 26)
  • Sky dive, publish a book, and travel to every continent. (female, 23)
  • Get paid for a piece of journalism. (male, 25)
  • Have more gay experiences, and have a career path (female, 23)
  • Have enough money to buy an RV and go on a road trip to every single to watch a hockey game. (female, 22)
  • Travel for an extended period of time – like 6 months. (male, 26)

]]> http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/19/what-do-you-want-to-do-before-you-turn-30/feed/ 1 Items that I have crossed off my list http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/18/items-that-i-have-crossed-off-my-list/ http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/18/items-that-i-have-crossed-off-my-list/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:04:12 +0000 Lara Howsam http://thethunderbird.ca/?p=7916 By Lara Howsam

When thinking about the things I want to do before I turn 30, I also have to point out there are some things on my list that I have actually crossed off.

  • Bungee Jump — I did my jump at The Kawarau Bridge in Queensland, New Zealand.  It was petrifying! The worst part was actually willing myself to jump off the bridge – but once I did it, and I bounced back up, I started laughing. I was hanging upside down and yelling at my friend that we had to do it again!
  • Visit Every Continent — North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia – I have been fortunate enough to travel to many places around the world. One of my main goals is to visit every continent before I turn thirty. I have only two – Africa and South America – to go!
  • Go to the Olympics — I was right in the action for the duration of the Vancouver 2010 Games. It was amazing to be part of this historical Canadian event!
  • Hang-out with a star — I was chosen as Paul Brandt’s guest blogger for a humanitarian trip. Hanging out with Paul was awesome and the best part is – I realized he is a totally normal, great guy!
  • Participate in a foreign charity project — I was able to go to Cambodia with the organizations Ratanak and Place of Rescue on a charity mission dealing with orphans and children that are victims of the sex trade. Participating in a project like this was a life changing, eye opening experience that I hope everyone has a chance to do.
  • Be backstage at a great concert– There is nothing like being backstage for a big concert. I watched TimMcGraw in Palm Springs, California at Stagecoach Festival.
  • Have the PERFECT day — My perfect day was spent at a beautiful lake in Northern Saskatchewan on a boat with wonderful friends. It was one of those great summer days that lasted forever.
  • Learn to surf — I think I can only half cross this off because I know how to surf behind a boat – not in the ocean waves!
  • Drink out of a watermelon – This is one of those silly things you see people do and think it will be great and it is just not as good as it looks – but it was fun! Click here if you want to know how to make it.
  • Own a cabin in Waskesiu — I grew up going to Waskesiu Lake in Prince Albert National Park in Northern Saskatchewan. Last year my brother and I bought a little cabin there and I cannot wait to make further memories in the future.
  • Graduate University with good marks – I completed a Bachelor of Arts Honours at The U of S
  • Swim in a perfect blue ocean on a beautiful beach — The most perfect beach I have visited was in Samoa. The best part about it was there was no one around.
  • Sky Dive –  Jumping out of that plane was both the biggest thrill and the biggest scare of my life. I did my jump in Taupo, New Zealand.

These are a few things that I have done – and I have a lot more to do!

Participate in a foreign charity mission

Participate in a foreign charity mission
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Handing out bracelets at Place of Rescue orphanage

]]> http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/18/items-that-i-have-crossed-off-my-list/feed/ 3 The “Downward Spiral” to 30 http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/17/the-downward-spiral-to-30/ http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/03/17/the-downward-spiral-to-30/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:52:32 +0000 Lara Howsam http://thethunderbird.ca/?p=7532 By Lara Howsam

I am twenty-six and I feel that I am on the “downward spiral” to thirty.

My twenties may not have been what I expected them to be, but they have been a scary, challenging and fun ride – and now here I am four years away from leaving them and I am not sure that I am ready!

I can not help but think about the things I want to do before I leave my twenties behind me.

Here are a few things off my list that I have yet to accomplish:

  • Visit every continent
  • Be someone’s boss
  • Attend a big movie premiere
  • Learn how to dance (Jive, Tango, Salsa)
  • Finish my masters degree
  • Get a “real job” in journalism
  • Write a published work for a major publication
  • Travel by myself
  • Go on an orca whale watching boat
  • Learn to drive standard
  • Go on a great road trip and just drive without really knowing where I am going

There is a new show on MTV that takes a look at the concept of seizing the day, The Buried Life Cache-Control: max-age=0

3E.

Four typical “frat boys” drive across the USA on a bus attempting to complete items off their list of things they want to do before they die.

Some things that they have accomplished include: attending a party at the Playboy Mansion, competing in a Krump competition, helping to deliver a baby and making a toast at a strangers wedding.

This makes great TV.

These boys are goofy and the show is centered on twenty-something male ideals – but I like the show because it inspires the viewer to think about things he or she may want to do.

Although these four boys do not specify that they have to have their list done before they turn thirty, the point is they are in their twenties and they are setting out to cross items off their list now – well and make a popular MTV show.

It seems that a lot of people have the idea of accomplishing a few things before turning 30.

This list has 150 things to accomplish before you turn thirty. One thing from this list that I liked that I may add to mine is #1 — buy everyone in the bar a drink . I just think that would feel so great – but, I am going to have to wait until I am no longer a student and can actually afford to do that without having to forgo food for a month!

This list contains a few items that are a bit out of the ordinary, like #38 – Lick the terminals of a 9 volt battery.

But I am not here to judge – I want to look at how other people plan to seize the day before turning 30.

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