Why Turning 30 Can Be the Best Time to Start Over

Walking into my 30s, I feel like I’m ready to hit the reset button. I want a new career. I want a new environment. I want a better, more meaningful way of life.

Is this what it means to turn 30—when the things you once thought you wanted no longer excite you? Or is this a midlife crisis arriving a decade early?

For me, it’s neither. I feel secure in who I am and who I’m becoming. I’ve been in and out of therapy for years—most recently sticking with it consistently for a year and a half. I know I’m not “lost” or “broken.” But I am over this version of life.

I’m tired of feeling like I have to present myself a certain way. I’m tired of doing things just for acceptance. I’m tired of measuring my worth by a paycheck.

Life has to be about more than the constant hustle—especially when the hustle is getting harder with today’s economic climate. I’m not a billionaire, so I’m in the same boat as everyone else, but I am ready for a big change

The Freedom in Not Knowing What’s Next

What’s next for me? Honestly, I don’t know—and that’s okay. I’ve gotten comfortable with not knowing because ignorance can be bliss in the right doses.

For years, I took life too seriously, checking every box I was told to check:

• Go to college ✅
• Get a “good” job ✅
• Climb the career ladder ✅

And yet, my first job out of college was in the kids’ club at a 24 Hour Fitness. That’s when I started to suspect that maybe “the plan” wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Now, I’m overeducated, overqualified, overworked—and tired of coloring inside the lines.

Coloring Outside the Lines in Your 30s

Maybe it’s time to do the opposite of what I’ve been told my whole life. Maybe we need more people breaking the mold instead of perfecting it.

If you’re approaching your 30s—or already there—and feeling restless, you’re not alone. Many of us reach this stage and realize we want to:

• Switch careers
• Move somewhere new
• Live a slower, more intentional life
• Stop chasing other people’s approval

And that’s not a crisis. That’s growth.

Why Turning 30 Can Be the Best Time to Start Over

In your 30s, you have the life experience to know yourself better, the emotional tools to navigate change, and—hopefully—the courage to follow your own path.

Starting over doesn’t mean throwing away your past; it means building on it in a way that aligns with who you’ve become.

By: Bria