Jamie's mini 'midlife crisis'

I was dreading this day. No I'm not actually having a midlife crisis, it's more of a reevaluation of my life. And it's not that I really had a huge problem with actually being 30. Though 30 really is old. The biggest issue with me was that it was 30! Turning thirty means that it's been 10 years since I was 20 (look at that.... I can still do math). Not only did I turn 30 but Robert and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. Do you see where I'm going with this? 20 was a big year for me. 10 years ago I had my whole future ahead of me and endless possibilities to explore. Now, 10 years later, I find myself asking, "what happened to my endless possibilities?"

Let's take a look at what I did accomplish in the last 10 years.

• I got married in the temple for time and all eternity to Robert
• I graduated from college with a BS in physics and a minor in math
• I gave birth to 4 wonderful kids
• We bought a cute Craftsman style bungalow, remodeled it and sold it
• We bought a bigger house with a smaller yard in a great neighborhood

I'm not sure what I expected to accomplish in the past ten years but I think my list looks pretty short. Hmmmm I kind of just let life happen to me without too much direction.

Upon more reflection; I think my problem is more a matter of not being where I want to be in life. And if I want to get somewhere then I need to plan for it and take steps to make it happen. No more of this aimless living. While I don't need to be Driven, I do need to have goals in mind. I used to chuckle to myself when people would talk about their 5-year plan. Now I'm thinking that maybe they had the right idea. Flexibility is good but as Laurence J Peter said,

"If you don't know where you're going, you will probably end up somewhere else."

So in an effort to be a bit happier when the next decade ends (ahhhh, I'll be 40! now that's really really really old) I have determined to be more proactive and purposeful. instead of just dealing with things as they come or going with the flow. So with that in mind I have sat down and made a 5 and 10 year plan involving goals in many different areas: financial, spiritual, health, relationships, family, church, community, and leisure.

Most of my goals boil down to one comprehensive goal - live a purposeful life.