25 before 25

My friends and I made a 25 before 25 list on vacation once, and although I already lost the piece of paper that I wrote my list on, before I made it back home from that vacation, the idea has always stuck with me. Now that I turned 24, it’s time to put the idea into action and actually make a list, because let’s be honest, I will probably need all the time I can get, since I can already predict that there are going to be many travel destinations on it. It might not be possible to cross everything off my list in only 1 year (minus 2 day) but a girl can dream right? 

1. Visit Santorini or Mykonos. anyone with an Instagram addiction must also be overloaded with the most gorgeous pictures from Santorini and Mykonos. It just looks so beautiful that I can’t wait to go there.
2. Become a morning person. I am such a night owl, but I would love to be one of those people who is productive in the morning and can actually get things done before work. I already struggle with eating breakfast before work because I just don’t want to get up in the morning.
3. Have a “tourist” day in Amsterdam. I have been living in Amsterdam for half a year now and I still haven’t seen any of the important sights. This year I want to have a day where I pretend to be a tourist and visit all the sights.
4. Run a 5k. Recently I’ve been going to the gym more often and being able to run 5k, would show me that I actually improved.
5. Visit the USA. It’s been over a year since I moved back from the USA and I still miss the country, my friends and my life there like crazy. It would be amazing to go back for a holiday or longer and visit everyone.
6. Worry less. One of my worst traits, is the fact that I worry about literally everything. I want to learn to  let things go, especially if I can’t change them. This will for sure provide me with more sleep and would probably make me so much happier, but old habits die hard unfortunately.
7. Go on a spontaneous road trip. This has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. It just seems like so much fun to go on a trip where nothing is plannend and you just go wherever you want to go at that moment.
8. Find a new home. The last 6 months I have lived in two temporary rooms, but now that I’ve found my place in Amsterdam it’s time to find a more permanent place to live, where I can stay for at least a year.
9. Go to a Musical. Just because I love them and haven’t been to one in a while.
10. Learn to eat 5 new things. I am a very picky eater, which can make things unnecessarily complicated. It would be great to learn to eat some things that I don’t like at the moment.
11. Visit Rome. I left a piece of my heart in Rome, just as I did in the USA, when I lived there. I haven’t been back in 4 years and I would love to visit all my favorite places again and to relive my old life there just for a couple of days.
12. Read at least 12 books. I used to read so much, but due to lack of time, I haven’t been able to read as much lately. I’ve been collecting some great books and can’t wait to start reading and get completely engrossed in them.
13. Volunteer. When I lived in the USA, I was a member of a service sorority and I just loved to volunteer and help other people, which I something I also want to start doing here.
14. Go skinny-dipping. Another one that’s on my bucket list for quite a while. To be honest I don’t even have an explanation why, it just seems so fun and such a “let’s celebrate that were young” thing.
15. Get a job that I love. My internship is coming to an end and I would love to find a job that I love.
16. Spend more time with people I love. Although I try to spend as much time as possible with my family and friends, it would always be great to have a bit more time with them.
17. Visit the Harry Potter studio in London. Does this need any explanation, I am just a big fan and the studio tour is supposed to amazing.
18. Improve my Italian. I learned a bit of Italian while I lived there but a lot of it has faded, which is such a waste. So I think that I will have to add Duolingo Italian to my daily routine.
19. Hold a shop stop. I am a bit of a shopaholic, so a shop stop might be smart. I have to give the length of my stop some more thoughts though, I’ll keep you updated on this one.
20. Save more money. Now that I am getting older it’s probably wise to start saving more for my future home or car. You see a shop stop is probably a good idea.
21. Try a new sport like Yoga or Boxing. Just because they seem like something I would enjoy.
22. Visit 2 new big cities in Europe. I love city trips and as a result there are quite a few European cities that I can cross of my scratch map, but there is still a lot of Europe to see, maybe Prague or Budapest or Stockholm, who knows?
23. Buy something I’ve always wanted. Sometimes you just have to treat yourself right!
24. Learn to say no. I always want to please everyone but sometimes I’m just in over my head. I need to learn to set priorities and accept that a day has only 24 hours.
25. Watch a beautiful sunset and sunrise in the same 24 hours. Just because it seems like something beautiful and fun.

Well it looks like it’s going to be a busy year, but also a pretty amazing one if I manage to check off, some of, these items.

What is or would be on your 25 before 25 list?

Love, Meryl