Today I’m 36. Yep, I’m on the back 9 of my 30’s. Last night I fell asleep on the couch at 10:30, and this morning I woke up in my bed at 9. Perhaps I needed the sleep to prepare for today.

On my birthday I am always struck by this line from an Indigo Girls song that goes… “Every 10 years or so I look back on my life, and have a few laughs.”

How true is that?

For me though, I tend to chunk my life experiences into 5’s. You know, 10-15, 15-20, 20-25, 25-30, and most recently 30-35. It’s just how I do it.

A good friend of mine once told me that the 30’s were all about ego. I think he’s right, although for me it was my 20’s. My 30’s have predominantly focused on my family and my career, which are completely intertwined.

It’s foolish, I think, to sit back and have a “plan” for your life. I do think though, that it’s prudent to set goals and to try and reach them, assuming you have learned one thing, and that is…

What do you want?

Fortunately for me I learned by the time I was 30 what I wanted in life. (Is it pretentious to say that?). I don’t want gobs of money. I don’t want a fancy car. I don’t want a high-profile career.

I want happiness. I want safety and security for my family. I want flexibility in my career.

I’ve spent all my working years preparing for the next 5 years. This is when I will make my mark. This is when I will develop a business that I can be proud of that will generate long-term income and stability for my family. This is my late 30’s.

What do I see for the 40’s? Best-case scenario? Having enough security to be able to work only on fun things.

At least now I can look back on this post in 5 years and see if I was right!