There’s something about a new year that inspires me to reflect and gives me a bit of a push to think about what’s working, what’s not, and how I want to continue to improve as a human being.  And if there’s something about a new year, then there’s really something about a new decade.  I was born in 1980, so my life follows the decades quite neatly.

I’ve never been an avid journal writer, but I do have a terrible memory so journaling would be great for me.  I often have a goal to keep a journal and wish I had more consistently kept one over the years.  Similar to why I believe journaling is a meaningful use of time, I found it to be quite enjoyable to take some time to reflect upon, and document, the last 10 years of my life.

These are my reflections on the last decade (mostly in chronological order):

• Turned 30.
• Hosted a surprise 70^th birthday party for my dad.
• Worked and lived abroad for 2-months in Shanghai, China, on a temporary assignment with the company I work for.
• Gave up caffeine.
• Had my first child. A baby girl.  Many of my closest childhood friends also had babies during this decade, and it’s so special to see them all growing up together.
• Read the Art of Happiness and Linchpin. Two of my favorite books of all time.
• Read a lot about Mindfulness. Favorite books at the time were A Mindful Nation and Search Inside Yourself.
• My dad died. I still miss him a lot and wish he was here to read this.
• My daughter started at an International Montessori School and we found a great community for the first 5 years of her life.
• My brother got married, to the bestest sister-in-law a girl could hope for.
• Remodeled my house.
• Started working with an executive coach at work. Love it – it’s like work therapy.
• Celebrated my 10-year wedding anniversary with my close friends + family at the beach where we were married.
• Got divorced. Yes, seems quite close to that 10-year anniversary.  I thought the same thing!
• Went to therapy for the first time in my life. Loved it!
• Went to Barcelona with one of my best friends on an Eat-Pray-Love trip.
• Learned about Minimalism.
• Got obsessed with getting rid of things.
• Discovered I like black coffee. No cream, no sugar, just black.
• Quit using paper towels.
• Quite unexpectedly, met someone amazing and quickly fell in love. He deserves more than being right after paper towels on this list.  He’s the most amazing human being I know in this world.
• Took Transcendental Meditation training with my then boyfriend (now husband).
• Started meditating regularly. Life-changing.
• Read Finding Ultra and decided to go vegan for 30 days. 30 days turned into forever, still going strong with my husband.
• Went to Peru with my brother, sister-in-law, friend Mary, her ex-boyfriend and hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Awesome trip!
• Helped my mom sell our childhood home and moved her into a smaller condo just down the road.
• Built an amazing and whimsical treehouse for my kids in the backyard. My dad built one for us as a kid and I have amazing memories of it.   I hired professionals because I didn’t have the time and I didn’t want my kids falling out of a tree.
• Joined a non-profit board and really enjoyed the experience.
• Celebrated my grandma’s 100^th birthday (she died before I was born, but we still celebrate her) in Ocean City, New Jersey.
• Got engaged, in Ocean City, New Jersey.
• Got 3 promotions at work. Had 4 different jobs, but all at the same company (clearly I like it here).
• Helped my mother-in-law buy a condo nearby as an investment and so she can start spending longer periods of time here visiting her grandkids.
• Got married at Emerald Lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, with just us and our 3 kids present. Special thanks to our moms for letting us sort-of-elope and being cool about it!
• Formally welcomed a new mother-in-law, and she’s pretty awesome.
• Formally welcomed two new step-daughters into my life, and home.
• Our 3 kids now all attend the same elementary school I attended as a child. Kind of surreal.
• Hosted a surprise 70^th birthday party for my mom.
• Took our kids to Ocean City, New Jersey a number of times. This is a place I grew up going to every summer, so it was incredibly special to let my kids experience it.
• Organized and attended my 20 year high-school reunion.
• Agreed to be my kids school PTA president for a 2 year term.
• Got my first tattoo.
• Still obsessed with minimalism and getting rid of things and bringing less new stuff into my life.
• Drove the same car for a decade – a Toyota Pruis. Technically two different ones.
• Continued regular trips with my bestest-friends in the whole world, from elementary + high-school.  Made lots of great memories in Portland, Sedona, Asheville, Blue Ridge, and more.  
• Visited 9 new countries – China, Singapore, Spain, Peru, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Canada, Mexico.
• Took my kids on some amazing trips, including two weeks in both Canada and Ireland. Started taking longer 2 week vacations with the kids over the summers, and highly recommend.
• Pretty solid commitment to fitness and working out consistency. Started and ended the decade about the same size/weight, though I might be in the best shape of the decade right now.
• Read a lot of books, listened to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks, and watched a lot of good TV/movies. Couldn’t even begin to name all of my favorites.
• Started Mostly Minimal Life. I’ve been thinking of some version of this for a very long time, so forward progress and momentum was a big thing.
• Started a podcast on Financial Independence with a good friend at work.

Phew, that was a lot and I definitely skipped over a lot of things.  Now on to 2020 and another decade.

Here are some of the things I’m expecting to see in this new decade and a smattering of goals:

• Turn 40.
• Kids will start middle school and high school. One kid will he graduated by end of the decade.  Wow!
• Take a sabbatical from work.
• As you’ll hear me talk about on the friends on FIRE podcast, I will likely retire sometime in this decade.
• Continue on this adventure with my awesome husband.
• Travel a lot.
• Continue to be a vegan and eat more healthy unprocessed foods.
• Continue to maintain a solid fitness level, with a focus on running, yoga, strength training, and walking/hiking.
• Continue, and improve, my meditation practice.
• Continue, and improve, my minimalism journey.
• Launch and maintain a successful podcast. My definition of success is that it helps people and eventually breaks even/covers its own costs.
• Maintain and build Mostly Minimal Life. Same definition of success as above – My goal is to help people be happier, and ideally break-even/cover its own costs.

One thing I noticed about both of these lists are they are mostly full of memories with my friends and family, or cool experiences or accomplishments.  What it’s not full of are things I purchased or accumulated.  I found the process of writing this list out really cathartic and enjoyable.  I’d encourage you to take some time to make your own list on reflections from the past decade, and goals for the decade ahead.  

Here’s to a new decade with lots of promise and adventure ahead!

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