Happy Birthday To Me
- Jackie Breen
- Sep 1, 2016
- 4 min read
Reflecting on my 24th Year
I love love love birthday’s. It is your day to have fun, reflect and let's be honest do whatever you want. I love reflecting on the past year and seeing how I have grown & what I have learned. At this point in my life I am truly realizing how fast things go and how trivial these everyday expectations are. Life goes so fast and if you don’t have fun and experience everything you want it’ll pass you by before you enjoy it.
40 Questions Reflecting on my 24th year
What one event, big or small, are you going to tell your grandchildren about?
My brother’s wedding in Costa Rica
If you had to describe 23 in three words, what would they be?
Unsure
Experimental
Self-searching
What new things did you discover about yourself?
Focusing on me first makes everything else around me better and more clear
I have to stand up for myself or I’ll be left feeling alone, lonely, and uncared for
Seeing the end goal of what I want to accomplish makes the baby steps there easier
What single achievement are you most proud of?
PR at the Wisconsin Marathon
What was the best news you received?
My sister having another baby
Being considered for the Peace Corps
What was your favorite place that you visited at 23?
Costa Rica
Which of your personal qualities turned out to be most helpful this year?
Perseverance and confidence
Who was your number one go-to person you could always rely on?
My mom
Which new skills did you learn?
Creating a website
What, or who, are you most thankful for?
My whole family and the people that have inspired me
If someone wrote a book about your life at 23, what genre would it be? Comedy, love story, drama, noir, or something else?
I’m pretty sure it would be a travel book that is the only thing I’ve really done that is worth writing about
What was the most important lesson you learned at 23?
Trust yourself, you know what you want
Which mental block(s) did you overcome?
To make things happen you have to do the little things
What 5 people did you most enjoy spending time with?
Shae, my mom, Claire, Andrea, Danny
What was your biggest break-through moment career-wise?
When I realized if I hated my job I didn’t have to do it, there is always something else out there
Also, do the little things to get you where you want to be
How did your relationship to your family evolve?
I started looking to them more for advice and being honest about the things I really want
What book or movie affected your life in a profound way?
Shantaram
What was your favorite compliment you received this year?
"You sound like to know what you want"
What little things did you enjoy most during your day-to-day life?
Waking up to the sunrise
Listening to my podcast and learning from people who inspire me
What cool things did you create this year?
My own website
What was your most common mental state?
Confused, searching, content, inspired
Was there anything you did for the very first time in your life this year?
Saw a concert at Wrigley
Ran a marathon for a charity
Ran the Chicago marathon
What was your favorite moment spent with your friends?
Snowboarding in Colorado
Exploring Chicago
What major goal did you lay the foundations for?
Traveling the world
Remote work
Which worries turned out to be completely unnecessary?
Money
Finding a job
Making connections
What experience would you love to do all over again?
Costa Rica
Trail marathon
Colorado
What was the best gift you received?
Running shoes
Blackhawks tickets
How did your overall outlook on life evolve?
I’ve always been very unsatisfied with where I am at in life, nothing ever feels like what it is that I want to be doing but I do not like that this is my overall emotion
This year I took a lot of time to look at things that I truly want and I became inspired
I realized that every single day needs to be cherished
Things will not happen in a second and if you don’t take the time to love each day for what it is life will pass you by before you ever had the chance to enjoy it
What was the biggest problem you solved?
Money - I didn't actually solve it but emotionally I am dealing with it much better
What was the funniest moment of the year, one that still makes it hard not to burst out laughing when you think about it?
My cousin bringing a tinder date day-of to a wedding
What purchase turned out to be the best decision ever?
New running shoes
What one thing would you do differently and why?
Not hold on to a person/situation that I knew should have been done with
I kept myself in a position of unhappiness, loneliness and uncertainty for too long
For some reason I felt like this person was good for me and there were certain things I couldn’t do without them
I let myself believe I needed this person in my life when they didn’t treat me the way I deserved
I would have ended it and really ended it
Also, I wouldn't have missed my Peace Corps interview
What do you deserve a pat on the back for?
Running 2 marathons
Not settling
Taking my growth into my own hands
What activities made you lose track of time?
Reading
Running
Hiking
What did you think about more than anything else?
How to achieve my dreams
The steps I need to and should be taking
What topics did you most enjoy learning about?
How to fund world travel
How to create your own online/remote work
What new habits did you cultivate?
Listening to podcasts
Blogging
What advice would you give to your early-23 self if you could?
Take advantage of the connections and opportunities
Start early
Did any parts of yourself or your life do a complete 180 this year?
My ideas of having a relationship-for the first time I can think of I do not want one at all
I know it will distract me from the things I need to get done
What or who had the biggest positive impact on your life this year?
Tim Ferriss
Inspiring thinkers
My niece
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