Sunday, May 26, 2013

My Time As A Twentysomething: Part Two - Nice To Meet You

On May 9th I passed from my twenties into my thirties and launched a new series as a way of looking back at both the highs and the lows (more here).  One of the best parts of my twenties was getting to know myself.  I know at first glance that kind of sounds egotistical but I'm not referring to being self-centred rather I'm referring to being self-aware.

When you're in your twenties no one expects you to have arrived yet.  It's a time of trying things out: education, different jobs, new relationships, even living in different places.  For me I loved having the chance to explore and try things out that would have never happened if I had already settled down with a family or even a mortgage for that matter.  Some of the things I tried I learned were for me and others not so much, but in either case they helped me to learn a lot about how I am wired and who God created me to be.


In the process I reconnected with my creative side that I had embraced in my childhood but completely ignored during my teen years.  As a twentysomething I learned that God wired me to create and that I look at the world much differently than others and that's okay.  Having the freedom to explore helped me to learn that creativity is not a childish thing that I should suppress, but rather a gift that I should build on.  That lead to a much different career path than what I had settled on in my teen years and I truly love what I do.  80% of it is all creative in different forms: writing, video and audio creations, photography and design.


Other bonus' that have come along thanks to the self-awareness that my twenties brought:


-I've learned and can clearly define the things I like and the things I'm not so fond of.


-I know more about my personality and have learned how to approach things from my unique perspective.


-I can now see that my spiritual health can be only as good as my emotional health is, therefore I need to pay close attention to both.


-I understand boundaries and know that it's okay to set them with myself and others.


-I can understand the difference between what other people think of me and what God thinks of me and have a better perspective on how to make decisions based solely on the latter.


-I have come to look at life (and others) in less black and white terms.  By realizing that as a human I have a limited perspective it has helped to show me that I'm not capable of fully understanding life's turns or the motives of other people.  Only God can and He doesn't expect me to.  He just asks that I love others and trust Him.


No matter what age you might find yourself at, self-awareness isn't something that only people in their twenties benefit from.  If you want to learn more two books I very highly recommend are:


Changes That Heal (Dr. Henry Cloud)


and


Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (Peter Scazzero)


Thursday, May 16, 2013

My Time As A Twentysomething: Part One - Bucket List

On May 9th I passed from my twenties into my thirties and launched a new series as a way of looking back at both the highs and the lows (more here).  Today is part one, the bucket list!

I started a bucket list in my late teens but didn't actually start to cross any items off until I reached my twenties.  I realize there is more to life than what can be captured on a bucket list, I find for me having an actual list helps me to set goals and stay focused and not waste the life that God created me to enjoy.  While it would take more than a blog post to share about all my personal, professional and spiritual goals, today I'm going to focus on my fun experiences bucket list.  Here is what I was able to cross off over the last decade in no particular order:

Travel to: East Coast of Canada (June 2005), Nashville (March 2006), Chicago (July 2008, March 2012).  More travel including destinations not on my bucket list on an upcoming post.

Stay on the oceanfront (September 2012)

Set foot on a submarine (March 2012)

Bowl over 300 (September 17, 2010)

Get my boating licence (July 2012)

Go to university (September 2003)

Learn to ride a horse (July 2007)

Write a book (December 2006 with the next one coming out this year!)

Ride in a helicopter (February 12, 2011)

Have lyrics I wrote put to music (September 2009)

Work in Christian radio (January 2007)

See an NHL hockey game (March 2006)

See an NBA basketball game (March 2012)

Set foot in all of the Great Lakes (completed July 2008)

Become an aunt (December 2011)

Buy a DSLR camera and learn how to take good pictures (August 2012)

See a musical (October 2009)

Visit an art museum (March 2010)

Go fourwheeling/ATV'ing (Summer 2011)

Invent something (May 2012)

Create something that can make a whole room of people laugh (December 2011)

See in concert: tobyMac (2003), Sanctus Real (2006), Newsboys (2005), Skillet (2006), Thousand Foot Krutch (2003), Audio Adrenaline (2005), Hawk Nelson (2006), Matthew West (2006)

I still have plenty on the list to accomplish in my thirties and I'm always looking to add more.  Any suggestions? 

Friday, May 10, 2013

Saying Goodbye To One Decade, Hello To Another

So yesterday I celebrated my 30th birthday.  If you would have asked me at 20 where I thought I would be at 30 my answer would not be the life I'm living now.  My answer also wouldn't have even have taken into consideration the person I've become now, but trust me it's both a good thing and God thing!

Your twenties are certainly a time of change, of turbulence and of growth and my life wasn't the exception to that rule.  Even though there were painful times and seasons I would like to skip over, I loved my twenties and for the next month on this blog I'd like to take a look back.  Sharing some of the highs and the lows and the lessons I've learned along the way that have all brought me to where I am today.  It's my way of "passing the story down" (Joel 1:3).  I hope you enjoy the posts to come!