Turning 30 is, or at least used to be, a big thing in Thailand, where I grew up. Reaching 30 years of age is earmarked, mentally though not realistically, as a deadline for many life milestones, which made my heart trembles a bit now that I have just reached that age. Finding a life partner is for sure one of the most fear of people reaching 30-year-old mark, at least when I was young. Although people are getting married at older ages these days, it is still quite worrying for me that I have not found anyone yet as I started to see my friends getting married. 30-year-old mark is also when people started bragging about having a strong career and financial foundation, for which I would just put as a question mark (haha). Lastly, it is also the point when we start reaching the peak of physical fitness and finesse – at least for this point, I’m a bit more at peace about…
Lately, I have not been doing a lot of self-reflection as I have been quite busy meddling in my day-to-day job, yoga practice, and occasional swiping on dating app, which to my dismay, led me to nothing. However, over the recent London trip, especially waiting at the airport and starting putting inks on paper, I had a chance to leverage this “magic 30 deadline” to reflect on my life a bit, and, as much as I would like to say I’m not disheartened by this artificial milestone at all, I am quite shook by it to be completely honest. Therefore, instead of being anxious about what to come and where I am, I would like to use this as an opportunity to review, reflect, and perhaps set intention to make some changes – and most importantly, as I usually use this blog for, make a “public” commitment to actually do something with my life.
Relationship – my constant nemesis
Exploring the possibility of having a good romantic relationship is something that has been on my mind for quite a few years. Last year, I set a goal of going on a date a few times just to try it out, and I also have started being more active on Tinder again (in Thailand, Tinder is considered a platform for more serious relationship vs Grindr). While it was quite fun, there were a few people who I enjoyed a few conversations with, but I don’t really have a strong urge to really push the relationship forward and, even if I have, I don’t really know how.
Also, while it is quite fun (especially with the foods for the eyes that are some good edited profile photos on dating apps), it is also quite time consuming to at least find some matches that actually talk (especially when I have a more realistic set of photos for myself). On top of that, it proved to be quite difficult to find a person that could hold a conversation. I just need someone who could talk in English and at least have some courtesy and logics, but yes – that seem to be too much to ask haha. Lastly, I think I have quite a high personal space, which made it quite a turn off for me when a person constantly asking “what y’a doing?”.
Maybe I’m more suited for a single life…
Financial – struggling but shouldn’t be that much
I have never been good at personal finance, or as some of my colleagues would say, I have an expensive lifestyle. I’m trying to fix that and tone it down though. I need to, especially after graduating from an MBA program with a personal debt despite being sponsored. Piling more on the personal debt were the unexpected extension of my educational leave due to the pandemic, home renovation, and passing of my dad last year.
I’m making this as new start then. I will be more responsible with my personal finance from now on.
Physique – probably on the right track
My physical fitness is probably the area that I am most proud off… well relative to other points here anyway. Though I do not have six packs, I am quite proud of my recent achievements in yoga practice with my handstand presses and deeper backbends to certain extent.
The 30-year-old point is marked in some articles that I have read as the peak of physical fitness for male, and I am planning to make the most of it. I will need to be leaner, stronger, and more flexible than ever. I’m quite sure that I should be able to achieve some improvement especially with my recent switch of focus from Vinyasa to Ashtanga, including Rocket.
Looking forward to more improvements to come!
While turning 30 has given me quite a bit of anxiety, it also served as a great self-reflection point. Now, I can’t wait for the new journey and self-improvement that is coming. Cheers to becoming older and wiser!