Age is a matter of feeling, not of year.

George William Curtis

We live in a world where age defines our identity and our life goals. All of us have had a bunch of checklist items for our life which we want to achieve plus a checklist that our parents hand over to us. We end up pursuing those throughout our 20s and finally by the time we realize what we want, we are already neck dip into the rat race of career, money, marriage, investment, bla bla bla.

I was no exception to it either. I had so many things planned when I was fresh out of college, for those who know me, knows how much of a planner I was in general. So here are a few of the notable mentions which I planned, buy a house, get married, keep aside my hobbies (because after 40s you can pursue hobbies), earn loads of money by 30, and then save enough to retire at around 35.

When I turned 30 this September, I realized life is more than just crossing off items from the checklist which we inherit. I still don't own a house, am not yet married, pursuing my hobbies more actively than ever, not planning to retire anytime in the next 10 years. All the hustling I did in my 20s taught me so much about life which I never expected, well that is for a different blog post. This blog is about how I turned 30 into the heart of the Himalayas.

Around July I realized that I have just a couple of months left for my 20s. We all know how important 20s are for most of us, like mentioned above, we have loads of bucket list items to be crossed off the list before we end 20s which make us pursue the rat race even more aggressively. I was turning 30 in next 2 months and I did not want to have some party like every year, rather I wanted to do something which I loved doing and do some self-reflection. This thought made me turn 30 away from all but to myself into the mountains.

I turned 30 while being on a Himalayan trek, Buran Ghati. What can be more memorable than cutting your birthday cake in a Himalayan trek, 12,000 ft altitude? This definitely set a higher benchmark for 40s 🤣

Though I wanted to keep it a secret, IndiaHikes team somehow got to know about it and it turned out to be such a pleasant surprise. It felt like back to the school days, where everyone in the trek would address you as "birthday boy" 😄 the whole day.

Since I love nature and being outdoors, it couldn't have been any better way to turn 30. But here are few important self-realisation I had in last 30 years.

• You gotta hustle around in life but you also need to take few moments off to enjoy the achievements
• You will always have someone in the room who has achieved more than you and you don't need to compete to be the best at everything.
• You need to spend time with your family. You never know what the universe has planned for you.
• Money is important. Earning just for survival isn't enough. Friends and family will support you morally, but financial support is your concern.
• Don't get attached to your job, and always remember you are replaceable.
• Being vocal and the ability to say "NO" is one of the most underrated skill.
• Listen all the advice which you can get from everyone, but implement only what your heart and mind says.
• Having a stable income(job) is the safety net that allows you to do a lot of things, but make sure you create couple of more such side hustles.
• Be the mentor or boss who you wanted when you were young-self.
• Be a good listener, and always know when pick the right battles, learn to let go.
• Desination doesn't matter, journey doesn't matter, but the companionship matters the most.
• Learn to enjoy your own company first before you can enjoy others company.
• Its ok to be alone rather than mingle up with someone just because you see people around getting married.
• FOMO and instant gratification something, you need to avoid.
• Being healthy and spending on good food and lifestyle is more important than getting a fancy phone or car.
• Pursuing hobbies is more important to clear your mind. When someone asks you what do you do apart from regular work, you should not say, I don't get time. Everyone gets time, its more about how you prioritize.
• Networking and soft skill is really important.
• Try to start penning down your thoughts somewhere, it helps you to decide better.
• Lastly, Everything is Impermanent, be happy. Your happiness and personal growth is your responsibility, not others. 😊