A Millennial's Dilemmas

 It's almost the end of the year now, and it's been a while since I last wrote a blog post. The year has literally flown by for me. I've finally caught a break, thanks to the flu that has rendered my ass stuck on the bed this weekend. So I figured I'd jot down a quick post about the few thoughts that have been occupying most of my introspection time lately. 

Turning 30

I'll be turning 30 soon, and I'm also seeing a lot of my friends around my age having recently touched this milestone, while I see others slowly inching towards it. I don't know if others my age can relate to it, but it doesn't seem that long ago when 30 seemed like a future far away. Anyway, as hard as it may be, it's time for me to accept that I'm getting there as well. 

Along with that, a lot of other thoughts have been occupying my head. A look back at the last decade, looking at who and where I am now, and trying to find a path forward in the weird world we live in today. Additionally, there's always a part of me that's comparing who and where I am today to who and where I thought I'd be by this time when I was 10-15 years younger. As with any life truly lived, it's a mixed bundle of joys and regrets. 

Travel

Well, the last couple of years have been pretty dull in these terms but I've still managed a fair bit in my defense. This year, I was in Spain twice, then saw Vienna, Austria twice as well, and also traveled to Rome, Italy. It was a mixed bag of old and new places. 

However, I'm slowly feeling the need to go beyond Europe now. So I would like to hopefully tick 1 destination outside of Europe next year, maybe 2. Unfortunately, this isn't something that depends on me solely. The world is in a messed up place right now it seems. So it's all based on the hope that things will be better off next year than they are now. 

In the medium term, I want to see Australia, Argentina/Chile, and Japan/South Korea outside of Europe for sure. Fingers Crossed. 

Career

Maybe it's sort of linked to turning 30. I guess it's something probably everyone thinks about around this age. I don't know. In my case, it's just been a lot of introspection and wondering about it. 

Sometimes it's a "let's wipe the slate clean" kind of thinking, the kind that leads me to think hours on end about questions like "If I could do anything I want, what would I be doing?", followed by hours of dreaming about getting there. On other occasions, I'm more pragmatic. I would spend time trying to map my career like a sailor. I try to determine my location based on the past course taken and based on the current winds, I try to figure out where the ship shall anchor next. 

With the changing work environment, with everything going more and more online, there are a lot of additional dimensions to it as well. One thing that has changed as I've grown older is that it's not just about the nature of the work anymore. I've developed this understanding, and I guess one can only develop this once they've worked significantly long enough, is that along with any kind of work, comes a certain lifestyle adapted to that job. This includes tiny mundane things from the time you wake up, your exercise routine etc. to the larger, more important things - the amount of leisure time you have to spend with your friends and family and for your hobbies. 

Thinking about the future path of my career, at this point, also involves addressing these questions. In addition to asking, "what would I really like to do?", I guess I've been asking myself, "how do I really want my lifestyle to be over the next decade of my life?" 

Relationships

For the sake of privacy, I'm going to keep my thoughts related to this to myself. However, it did beckon a mention in the list of major thoughts that have occupied my head over the past few months. So I just thought I'd mention it.