I turned 30 earlier this year, and to be honest, 2015 so far hasn’t been quite what I was hoping for. Things can happen unexpectedly, sometimes completely out of your control. But sometimes trials and annoyances make you reconsider where your life is versus where you want it to be. We make lists of non-negotiables for potential partners–why not for our own lives?
Ideally, I’d be living out west (Portland specifically, but I’d consider moving elsewhere) working at a job that allows me to be creative…and pays enough for me to be able to live alone and still have a comfortable life (it helps thinking that my car is FINALLY almost paid off). Life doesn’t always allow you to check all those boxes at once, though, so you consider what takes priority.
Am I really so afraid of earthquakes that I won’t move to Portland? Er…possibly? Do I really think I could get by financially without having a roommate ever again? Probably not. Can I promise myself I’ll never have a mind-numbing, boring office job again (no more Excel spreadsheets ever again pls)? No, but damned if I won’t try.
As we move into the last third of the year (!), I’m thinking about a game plan for the coming 6-12 months. I’ve never been good at life pre-planning or long-term goal-setting (which is essentially why I came home from Australia after only four months), so this will take a lot of effort on my part. But it needs to happen.
So, what are your non-negotiables?
Travelling Woman Blog 
I think you can have a job you love, live on your own, and move to where you want. DEFINITELY the part about living on your own! I’ve done it for 6 years and I’ve often made less than what I’m making now as a teacher. Don’t judge life by DC’s standards – no one can afford to do anything up there lol.
It depends on where you want to live and what kind of jobs they have there. Most of the places I want to live in are more expensive than average, while (one would hope) almost assuredly cheaper than DC.