CONTEXT
Have you noticed the 2016 nostalgia taking over social media? Everyone on Instagram is posting photos from that year. I will spare you the round-up photos of younger Jade, but I did take a little time to reflect on the stage of life I was in 10 years ago. (I was in my 20s.) And something hit me:
One’s 20s should be about addition. More friends, more experiences, more novelty, more putting yourself out there, more sampling, more exploration, more hustle.
One’s 30s? They're about subtraction. You’ve built the self-awareness to know the difference between what matters and what’s just shiny.
Peace in your 30s (and beyond) is all about letting go of what no longer serves you, narrowing your focus on the things you care most about, and giving those everything you’ve got.
And that is done through small, intentional choices that compound over time.
Which one on the list below resonates most with you?
THE METHOD
Peace in your 30s looks like:
- Leaving the party at 10pm without explaining yourself
- Only taking directions from people who’ve been where you want to go
- Paying extra for convenience when your time and sanity are worth way more
- Buying the good coffee because you deserve affordable luxuries
- Putting your phone in Do Not Disturb after 9pm and reading a book. (I highly recommend my friend Brad Stulberg’s book, The Way of Excellence. It comes out tomorrow!)
- Meal prepping on Sunday so you're not eating sad desk lunches all week
- Declining wedding invitations from people you haven't spoken to in 5 years
- Canceling subscriptions you don't use, even if they're "only $10"
- Unfollowing accounts whose posts makes you feel less good about your life
- Investing in fewer, high-quality things (vs. a closet full of clothes you never wear)
- Keeping a water bottle at your desk and actually drinking from it
- Automating your bills once so you never have to think about due dates
- Realizing that the people who get mad when you set boundaries are those who benefitted from you not having them
- Investing in a good mattress because you spend a third of your life in bed
- Putting your Out Of Office on, and not replying to emails when on vacation
- Protecting 2 hours of deep work every day to get your most important thing done
- Calling your parents more. You don’t have as much time together, and you don’t want anything to go unsaid
- Blocking out 20 minutes for a walk every morning without your phone
- Decluttering your home until everything serves a purpose or brings joy
- Keeping a list on your phone of all the little things that make you happy, so you don’t forget how lucky you are
- Knowing when to leave. The party. The job. The relationship
- Removing yourself from conversations that feel like energy vampires
- Keeping 6 months’ worth of expenses as a cushion in your savings account
- Investing in services that buy back your time: cleaning, grocery delivery, laundry
- Keeping your relationship off social media because your peace matters more than proving anything
- Investing in people who invest in you
- Having the tough conversations early rather than bottling them up
- Not being impressed by followers or money, but by humility and generosity
- Treating your body well now, not for summer but for old age. Dense bones, heart health, functional independence
- Reinventing yourself. The cost of not trying is the life you could have lived
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I wrote a post a while back called, “I met my younger self for coffee today.” And it was one of the most powerful journal prompts I’ve sat with in a long, long time.
I encourage you to do the same this week. Picture yourself in 2016. Imagine them sitting across from you in a coffee shop. Listen to them talk about all the things you were so worried about, the battles you’ve since come out on the other side of, the uncertainty you had about the future.
And then imagine all the good things you’d tell them about your life now. 🫶
Enjoyed this week’s newsletter? Share it with someone who’ll appreciate it.
All my love,
Jade
P.S. Congratulations to our Archimedes members who started today! I am absolutely blown away by you. You’re founders, executive coaches, lawyers, industry leaders, AI experts, working moms, bestselling authors, podcasters, keynote speakers, and so much more.
Ben, Colby, and I cannot wait to meet each one of you in tomorrow’s Welcome Session, and help support your dreams over the next 12 weeks.
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