Well it happened: I turned 30.
As someone who keeps company about a year older than himself it was interesting to see my friends’ reactions to hitting their third decade, most of them dreading it with all their being. I think the reason for this is that from that moment on you’re no longer in your twenties and, as such, are shouldered with the burden of expectations of being a mature adult. That’s not something my generation will typically accept gracefully although, honestly, I’d hazard a guess that no generation before has either. Regardless of how you feel about the date though it is a time to pause and reflect on the time you’ve had and the path laid out before you.
I’ve enjoyed quite a lot of success in my life thanks to a combination of determination, support and a healthy dose of luck. If you had told me I’d be in this position 10 years ago I would’ve told you that was obvious (ah, the naivete of youth) but honestly I had tracked out a completely different path for myself then, confident that I had control over every single nuance of my life. That, of course, turned out to be impossible and instead I have made the best of the situation I’ve found myself in. Now instead of attempting to meticulously plan my life out 10 years ahead I instead find myself focusing on the here and now, taking every step I can towards my goals without constraining myself to a set timeframe.
Which brings me to the pertinent point of this post: the goal.
I had an informal, let’s call it a goal, with a mate of mine that we made back in college that we’d both make our first million by the time we were 30. It seemed like a pretty reasonable goal, we had about 12 years at the time to make it which averaged out to something like $83,000/year. He was already on the way to achieving that, having been peddling computer gear and other things through the then nascent eBay, but I was intent on making it by rocketing up the corporate ladder to find myself in a position to earn it directly. Interestingly enough we’ve both progressed our careers along those paths as he’s had several business ventures over the years whilst I’ve spent the majority of mine climbing the corporate structures of Canberra IT.
Now the juicy part: did either of us make it? I can’t speak for Vince (although he did say it changed month by month when I mentioned it in a blog post almost 5 years ago, gosh the time went fast) but for me the answer is a little complicated: yes if you’ll allow me a technicality and no if you won’t. The technicality lies within the capital that I have control over which is well over the threshold however I cannot strictly lay claim to that, the bank still holds an interest in that capital in the form of mortgages. If I was to realise everything I’d probably be closer to halfway to my first million rather than over it which many would argue is the more true figure. Suffice to say I err on the side of the technicality because whilst I might not have a bank balance that says $1 million I do make returns as if I have it and have used that capital as real money in the past.
In all honesty though that’s taken a back seat to my primary goal of just doing the things that I love the most. I made the move to Dell almost 2 years ago now and honestly couldn’t be happier as they’ve allowed me to do things that I never had the chance to before. I’ve literally travelled the world for my work and my blog, something that I had always dreamed of doing but never thought I’d realise. In the last 3 years I’ve played over 150 different games, greatly expanding my gaming world and revelling in the review process. I’ve married my college sweetheart and seen her pursue a career of her own passion which has made both her and myself incredibly happy. Money is all well and good but it’d be nothing without the amazing things that have happened despite it.
It’s strange to think that, even though I’ve been living for 30 years now, the vast majority of my life is still likely ahead of me. I may not be the crazy youth that I once was, the one who thought being the CEO of multi-national company was possible in a sub-10 year timeframe, but I still believe that great things lie ahead. Experience has taught me that those things won’t come my way on their own however and should I aspire to more I’ll have to bust my butt to make it there. It is satisfying to know that the only thing standing between me and my ultimate goals is effort and time rather than whatever nebulous concept I had in my head all those years ago.
Suffice to say 30 doesn’t feel like the doom and gloom it was made out to be 😉
