Ten Years, Ten Things

I am approaching the final weeks of my junior year at Miami University. Next semester, I will be spending my time exploring and studying abroad in London, England. Words can not describe the eagerness I have to hop on that plane ride across the pond. Though I am filled with excitement a part of me has been nostalgic. The next time I drive into Oxford it will be my senior year of college. How did the time fly by this quick? Sometimes, I forget that I am old enough to attend college. The year 2001 does not seem that far away. Elementary school seems like a recent memory. It scares me to reflect on how fast I have grown up. Soon I will be independent of my parents, paying my own rent and bills, and working a 9 to 5. So, in this moment I have decided to look forward. If time moves this fast, I better have a plan (or at least some goals). I have compiled a list of ten things I want to do in the next ten years. Here they are:

1. Travel: This summer I had the opportunity to visit Greece and Italy. The experience put my life into perspective. Being out of my comfort zone allowed me a transformative experience that you simply can not obtain in the United States. I was able to think of the world in a larger lens. No longer was I wrapped up in the American lifestyle and domestic problems we encounter. I was able to see the struggles of Syrian refugees, the poverty in Greece, and the corruption in Italy. Through out the next ten years I hope to travel to gain a worldlier prospective. That will allow me to live life as a responsible global citizen.

2. Job: In the next ten years, I hope to find a job that fulfills me. The criteria of fulfillment entail a career that does not just finically make me happy, but it is one that keeps me on my toes. I want to be in a field where I am able to constantly grow creatively. A job that I should aim for is one that pushes me, allows me to be an individual, and values my unique qualities.

3. Love: An emphasis is constantly placed on being married in our society. I have always been a girl in infatuated with the concept of falling in love. Through out the next ten years I hope to love myself first. Once I have achieved self love, I will allow myself to fall in love. I have always anticipated getting married within the next ten years, but as I have gotten older this deadline seems less necessary. So, I will change that thought and aim to find someone special in the next ten years.

4. Friends: My life has constantly been shaped by my closest friends. I put great value on my friendships, but I lack in communication. In the next ten years, I will remain in contact with my high school and college friends. I will not allow distance or time to break the bonds we’ve created. My largest challenge will be utilizing my phone and responding (this is something I struggle with currently). I will not let this fault effect these relationships.

5. Family: Coming from a very Greek family a large weight has been put into valuing family. In the next ten years I will continue to strengthen the relationships within my family. In order to do this, I will maintain traditions, religion, and communication that my family shares in the present. Though this is a ten-year goal it is something I hope to continue throughout my life.

6. Yoga: Throughout my first 20 years on this planet I have found peace through yoga. It has taken me a longtime to realize that yoga brings happiness to my life. So, in the next ten years I hope to continue my practice of yoga. In fact, I challenge myself to finally save up enough to get my yoga certification. Yoga will be the balance in this fast paced life.

7. Money: Many people want to earn a certain amount of money post college. I do not fit this category. I am less concerned about the number on my pay check. What I do worry about is how financially responsible I will be. Through out college I have realized I have a tendency to overspend and not save properly. In the next ten years I want to change this. I want to become a saver, not a spender.

8. Housing: In ten years I will be 30 years old. By that point in my life I aspire to save enough to move out of my parents’ home. At that point I hope to find an apartment in the city of Chicago. A dream of mine has always been to room with a few of my closest friends in a bohemian style apartment in the city. This is something I will strive for in these upcoming years.

9. Website: The last few years I have put creating my own website on the back burner of my “to-do list”. This is a product that will be up and running in the next ten years. The content I produce will be true to myself. It will be a reflection of who I want to become and who I am in the present. As a whole the website will further me in my careers and begin to create a brand for myself.

10. Skydiving: This is one of the items on my list that is more specific of a goal. Since I turned 18 I have said that I wanted to go skydiving. Unfortunately, this is something that my parents refuse to let me do while living under their roof. When I am independent of their support, I plan on going skydiving. I had the opportunity of bungee jumping off the Corinth Canal in Greece this summer. This experience pushed my limits and shaped my character. Skydiving will only further this individual growth.

These are my most basic ten things am aiming to achieve in the next ten years. Of course as life occurs I know these will change, but I believe currently these ten things summarize the achievements I am looking forward to.