30 in my 30s.

I turned 30 this year. Instead of looking back, I'm writing down 30 things I want to do before 40. Some are about career, some are about living. I'll check them off as I go.

  1. 01 Visit Japan during cherry blossom season
  2. 02 Lead a data team, not just be on one
  3. 03 Take my parents on a vacation they didn't pay for
  4. 04 Buy my first home
  5. 05 Build something that 10,000 people actually use
  6. 06 Learn basic conversational Japanese
  7. 07 Watch the northern lights
  8. 08 Hit six figures in savings
  9. 09 Run a half marathon
  10. 10 Speak at a conference, even a small one
  11. 11 Visit 15 countries
  12. 12 Cook a full South Indian meal from scratch for friends abroad
  13. 13 Start a side project that earns real money
  14. 14 Read 100 books this decade
  15. 15 Mentor someone early in their career and watch them grow
  16. 16 Go scuba diving somewhere with clear water
  17. 17 Write something and publish it online under my own name
  18. 18 Learn to invest properly, not just save
  19. 19 Hike a mountain above 10,000 feet
  20. 20 Take a solo trip to a country where I don't speak the language
  21. 21 Eat at a Michelin star restaurant
  22. 22 Get really good at one thing outside of work. Pottery, guitar, anything.
  23. 23 Go back to Chennai and eat at every spot I grew up with
  24. 24 Build a personal library of 200 books
  25. 25 Learn to make proper filter coffee like amma makes
  26. 26 See a concert of an artist I've listened to for years
  27. 27 Volunteer for something that has nothing to do with data
  28. 28 Take a full week off without checking email. Actually do it.
  29. 29 Write a handwritten letter to someone who changed my life
  30. 30 Turn 40 and feel like I lived this decade on purpose