There’s something special about having a birthday in the second month of the year. If you’ve had less than a happy new year, if you’ve broken resolutions or failed to accomplish your January goals, your birthday becomes your second chance. Your birthday becomes your do-over.
Today, February 9, is my birthday. Today begins my second chance at 12 months of excellence.
Today I turn 36 and as I wrote in my Write Like a Girl column for B-Metro, at first I wasn’t quite sure what to do with this new age. You see, 36 is not a milestone birthday, but it sure feels like one as it officially declares me closer to 40 than 30. Does this make me old? I wondered. Does this mean I’m “over the hill”? Was 35 “the hill”?
But, I’ve decided that only I can define the prime of my life, so, I will take 36 and have the time of my life.
Here are 36 things — both personal and professional — I want to do while I’m 36:
- Attend the Lean On Alabama conference.
- FINALLY launch the See Jane Write membership site.
- Create a brand video.
- Build See Jane Write to 500 dues-paying members.
- Update my head shots.
- Have a staycation with hubs at the Grand Bohemian Hotel.
- Attend Taco Libre 2017.
- Reach my happy weight.
- Get a mini-makeover.
- Revamp my wardrobe.
- Have a fun fashion photo shoot just because.
- Start a podcast.
- Start a vlog.
- Work on a campaign for one of my favorite brands.
- Have a girls’ weekend with my best friends.
- Host a girls night in at my home.
- Wear a bikini again.
- Take a real vacation with hubs.
- Write and publish a book.
- Write for I Am the F-Bomb.
- Host a lady writers luncheon.
- Host a HUGE See Jane Write event.
- Organize a reading featuring the women of See Jane Write.
- See my byline in one of my favorite national magazines.
- Make six figures in my business.
- Pay off my credit card debt.
- Buy a new car.
- Share a story at Arc Stories.
- Speak at Blogalicious 2017.
- Participate in the Vulcan Run.
- Run a half marathon and not feel like I’m going to die when I cross the finish line.
- Grow my blog traffic to an average of 100,000 monthly pageviews.
- Last year AL.com published a list of 50 essential Birmingham restaurants. By December 31 I want to be able to say I’ve had a meal at every restaurant on the list.
- Complete everything on my 2017 Birmingham Bucket List and then start another one.
- Discover why Birmingham was named one of the best cities in which to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
- Participate in the MLK Day 5K.
How will you make your next year the prime of your life?