List #29: 30 Lists That Didn’t Make it to the 30 Lists
30 Lists of 30 to Celebrate my 30th Birthday
The What & Why Behind This Project:
This year I turn 30. And my gosh, I have been thinking about it a lot. I don’t know if it’s the pandemic, or the fact that this milestone is loaded with many societal expectations, but my mind has inundated me with reflections and memories from the past, with questions arising about my life choices and lesson learnt, about my expectations of being a human and about my desires for the future. And this combined with pandemic reflections has meant there has been a lot on my mind….🤔
I started writing a series of questions and lists of all the elements I wanted to capture and articulate. There were a lot, unsurprisingly; 30 years is a long time really! So I gave up on the 1 list idea that I normally write (30 reflections/lessons turning 30) and decided to write 30 lists.
30 Lists of 30, for my 30th Birthday.
Who are these lists for, you might wonder? I started writing reflections many years ago to get to know myself better. And when I shared these raw and real accounts with friends I discovered that what I wrote about my individual journey, touched upon something universally human. Beyond the masks and labels we wear is a messy, beautifully complex life, with highs and lows. And more similar to others than we might think.
So I share them in the hope that you too might feel something — intrigue, joy, resonance or maybe even difference — as you reflect on what it means to be a human. I recognise that my experiences are my own, that some come from a place of privilege and that they may not all be relatable or interesting to you. I know I can’t please everyone, so take what you can…(and let me know what lands!).
So, Back to Lists…
The Why Behind List #29: 30 Lists That Didn’t Make it to the 30 Lists
Once I idea of writing 30 lists arrived in my mind, the ideas for the lists came by the bucket load — I went from 25 ideas to 125 and then a further 25 when I asked others for their ideas. So, finalizing the top 30 was a real challenge (though massively helped by friends who voted for their favorites — thanks again). There were many lists I started (but didn’t complete), wanted to write (but felt I needed more time to research them) or loved but was unable to include them the shortlist. They are all worth including in the project — hence this list — and perhaps someone else can write them?!
List #29: 30 Lists That Didn’t Make it to the 30 Lists
- 30 ways to relate to yourself
- 30 gifts you can give the world
- 30 things I don’t really understand but wish I did
- 30 people who influenced my life a lot
- 30 books I loved reading & their impact on my life
- 30 things I learnt from attending Burning Man
- 30 happy accidents that shaped my life
- 30 ingredients or practices to include each week for a fulfilling life
- 30 ways to be curious (about yourself, people and the world around you)
- 30 ways I’m privileged and not privileged and how this has affected my life
- 30 pieces of art that have moved me
- 30 stories I would like to read about our future
- 30 ‘failed’ experiments that helped me find direction
- 30 follow-up questions that highlight how to go deep in a conversation
- 30 ways to get energy
- 30 ways my life has been meaningful
- 30 organisations I think are awesome
- 30 goals I didn’t achieve by 30
- 30 things you can achieve in 30 days
- 30 important elements of good relationships
- 30 ways to work smart not hard
- 30 ways to reinvent your identity
- 30 ways to stay fit without going to the gym
- 30 things I have learnt about dating
- 30 conversations we don’t have that are important
- 30 lessons from coaching
- 30 things I learnt from my mum
- 30 fun random prompts / sentence stems to complete
- 30 ways to live that inspire me
- 30 quotes that strongly resonate with me
☕ If you enjoyed reading this list and want to support my writing I would love a coffee!
👉 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/30Listsof30 👈
Your support will help me fund my PhD starting in October 2021 at the School of Design Engineering, Imperial College, London. The subject: Human Connection & Conversation Design. This research lab > interactionfoundry.com
Want To Read More Lists?
I’m publishing one list every day in August (and will add the hyperlinks below).
- 30 Reasons Why I’m Writing 30 Lists of 30
- 30 Questions I’m Living Right Now
- 30 Ways To Have An Awesome Conversation
- 30 Risks I Took & What I Learnt
- 30 Ways to Create and Cultivate Community
- 30 Questions I Reflect on Every Saturday Morning
- 30 Essential Items I Pack Backpacking
- 30 Skills We Need But Don’t Teach
- 30 Things I Wasn’t That Grateful For But Am Now
- 30 Reflective Questions that Lead to Fascinating Conversations
- 30 Signs I am Most Definitely an Adult
- 30 Beliefs I Changed about Myself & Life
- 30 Games I’m Playing in Life
- 30 Confusing Messages I’ve Internalised About Who To Be & How to Live
- 30 Ways I’m Totally Imperfect
- 30 Considerations for Designing Meaningful Human Connection Experiences
- 30 Mundane Experiences That Can Actually Be Quite Magical
- 30 Words To Describe Elements of My Pandemic Experience
- 30 Things I’ve Learnt About Human Behaviour That Show Up Everywhere
- 30 Words I Love
- 30 Parts of Me
- 30 Principles I Live By
- 30 Lessons from 5 Years of Entrepreneurship and Creating
- 30 Health, Productivity, Creativity and Happiness Optimisation Experiments I’ve Explored And The Life Hacks that Resulted From Them
- 30 Things I am Proud of (Achieving) Before 30
- 30 Experiences (& Goals) For the Next 10-ish Years
- 30 Things I Need To Let Go As I Move Forward Into The Next Chapter
- 30 Journal Entries from the Last 20 Years
- 30 Lists That Didn’t Make it to the 30 Lists
- 30 Reflections Writing 30 Lists of 30
