20 things I want to do before turning 26

I recently turned 25, a quarter of a century young. I used my birthday as inspiration to write about the 25 lessons I learnt in 25 years. That post was all about looking back and focusing on the positive and the life lessons I have learned. Today I want to look forward and focus on the future by thinking about what I would ideally want to do in the next year of my life. 

Some things I want to do are realistic, some are far fetched, and some are silly, but they all mean something to me right now. Number 20 is something I have never accomplished and never think I will, but it was a funny one to include.

Content

• Camping 
• Say goodbye to ill-fitting clothes 
• Self-hosted website 
• New hairstyle 
• Go indoor rock climbing 
• Family interviews
• Go after my dream job
• Ears pierced again 
• Dine alone
• Friendships 
• New restaurants 
• Regular exercise routine
• Invest in my learning 
• Cook my parents a meal
• Go to the movies alone
• Regular monthly savings 
• Speak up
• Reduce Pepsi intact 
• Body image
• Complete rainbow road 
• Summary

The above is a quick list of the 20 things I want to do before turning 26, while the remaining section of the blog goes into detail. 

Camping 

I am starting with an exciting activity. I really want to go camping with friends. I haven’t been camping since University, so it would be fun to go again. 

Say goodbye to ill-fitting clothes 

I think this one goes hand-in-hand with number 19. I’ve held onto some ill-fitting clothes for so long in the hopes that one day they’ll fit again. I know they won’t, so I need to take the plunge and donate everything that will not fit in the foreseeable future. I’ll stop trying them on and feeling bad they don’t fit like they did years ago. 

Self-hosted website

I’ve been contemplating the idea of going self-hosted. I’ve read many blog posts about the process; some say to start with a self-hosted site, others say to build up a following before going self-hosted. I need to do a bit more research and have the courage to take the plunge, but it would be a nice challenge. 

New hairstyle 

I think I’ve had the same hairstyle since I was 16. I’ve always had long hair, but it’s now long enough to sit on because of the pandemic. I’d love a new hairstyle, which compliments my face, but I have no idea where to start or what would look good. I also don’t have the courage to go in and discuss what I want; I need to know beforehand. 

Go indoor rock climbing 

I’ve wanted to go indoor rock climbing for many years. Sometimes, I didn’t have the time; other times, I had no one to go with or didn’t have the income. Now, I am lucky enough to have all three currently, so I would love to try rock climbing. 

Family interviews

Family interviews sound so formal, but it does get the point across. Growing up, my family wasn’t really close; it was only when I moved out for University that we all started to get closer. I’d love to get to know them more by asking some trivial questions, especially about my parents. 

Go after my dream job

I always feel like I don’t have enough experience or skill to go after my dream job. I just need a little courage in myself to go for it. 

Ears pierced again

I’ve had my ears pierced once, and I would love to have them pierced again. 

Dine alone

There is something so empowering about going for a meal alone at a restaurant. My courage and social ability have faded during the pandemic, so going to dine alone would be a huge step in my confidence. 

Friendships 

In your twenties, friendships take work, well for your existing friends at least. Making friends is a whole different matter! I plan to write a blog post about this as well, so stay tuned for that. But, my goal for the next year is to strengthen my current relationships. I have a handful of long-time friends, who I’ve known since high school and a few from University.

I also want to strengthen my ‘couple friendships’. Do you know those friendships where you usually only hang out within a couple? I’d love to hang out with them one-on-one. I just have to get over the fear of rejection. 

New restaurants 

When you live somewhere for longer than a year, you get into a pattern where your feet just take you to your typical restaurant. I don’t want to do that; I want to try new restaurants, try new foods, and see other places my city offers. 

Regular exercise routine

At the moment, my exercise routine is up in the air. I’ll go for a while, exercising regularly, then I’ll stop for whatever reason, and then go back to exercising regularly a week later. I want to be exercising regularly and keeping to a routine. 

Invest in my learning 

This relates to number 7, to be more confident in my skills to go after my dream job, I want to invest in my learning further.

Cook my parents a meal

Growing up, I was the kid that could not cook at all. One of two (small) fires might have happened because of my limited cooking skills. My sister learnt how to cook at University, while my brother started learning to cook while living at home with our parents.  

I wasn’t too interested in complex meals while at University, so I didn’t learn beyond throwing frozen foods into the oven. However, I now know how to cook some meals from scratch, so I would love to cook a meal for my parents. Both to say, hey, I can cook, and because mum cooked so much for us growing up. 

Go to the movies alone

I have never been to see a movie alone. It is one of those silly things that I would love to do, just to say I have.

Regular monthly savings 

While I save some money each month, it is not the same amount. I would like to have a set monthly saving amount. 

Speak up

I am quiet, and while being quiet isn’t bad, I need to speak up more when in groups. Whether this means sharing my opinion, setting my boundaries or talking to someone new, I would like to move out of my comfort zone more.  

Reduce Pepsi intact

You know how some people can’t go a day without coffee? Or a cup of tea? Yeah, I’m like that with Pepsi. It’s a silly aim, but I need to stop drinking it so much for my health and teeth. 

Body image

I struggle so much with my body image, and some days I don’t even want to look into the mirror. I know I can’t solve this in a year, but I would like to work towards loving myself in my twenties.   

Complete rainbow road

Ending with a fun thing to do before turning 26. To this day, I have never completed a lap of rainbow road on Mario Kart. 

Summary 

I was going to title this blog post 20 things I want to achieve before turning 26, but then I changed it. I know it’s one word; for me, it changes the meaning.

Even though I made a list of everything I want to do, I know that sometimes life has a way of surprising you. Which I’m sure we all know after the last year. Sometimes things don’t work out; sometimes, things work out better than you imagined. 

Whether I achieve everything on this list or nothing at all, I just hope the next year is filled with memories, lessons and happiness. 

What is something you would love it do?