Turning 30 feels both arbitrary and deeply symbolic. It’s just a number, yet it carries weight. It marks the end of a decade that shaped who I am — not just professionally, but personally, intellectually and emotionally. My twenties were not linear or perfectly planned. They were experimental, messy, ambitious and often uncertain. But they were guided by one consistent intention: to understand how change happens in the world, and to contribute to it meaningfully.
Looking back, there are lessons from that decade that feel worth carrying forward — and worth sharing.
1. Live with Intention, Not Control
I did not have a perfectly mapped-out career plan. What I had was a clear internal compass. When I was 18, I set a simple intention: I wanted to learn as much as possible about social change and experience as much of the world as I could. That intention shaped everything.
It led me to study sociology, philosophy and global studies. It led me to say yes to a semester abroad in Canada. It led me to apply for a volunteer communications role I wasn’t technically qualified for. It led me to stay back after class and apply for an opportunity to attend a United Nations conference. None of those moments were part of a master plan. But they aligned with my deeper intention.
You cannot control your journey. But you can choose your direction. When your values are clear, it becomes easier to recognise which opportunities to pursue and which to decline.
2. Lifelong Learning Extends Beyond Formal Education
Some of the most valuable lessons I learned about changemaking did not come from lectures or textbooks. They came from volunteering, activism, community organising, consulting, trial and error, and building something from scratch.
My degrees gave me frameworks. My lived experiences gave me depth.
It was outside the classroom that I learned how campaigns are actually built, how strategy meets reality, how power operates informally, and how burnout feels in the body. It was outside formal education that I developed communication skills, facilitation confidence and the ability to navigate complexity.
If you want to create meaningful change, your education cannot end with graduation. Curiosity has to become a lifestyle.
3. Experience the World Before You Try to Change It
When I was 17, I heard someone say, “If you want to change the world, you have to experience it first.” That advice stayed with me.
Travel and place-based learning transformed my understanding of inequality, privilege and systems. Living in Canada, spending time in India, walking through museums, observing communities, listening to people in their own contexts — those experiences embedded lessons in a way abstract theory never could.
Place shapes perception. Immersion builds empathy.
You do not necessarily need international travel to gain this perspective. But you do need exposure to different communities, cultures and worldviews. Social change work grounded in lived experience is stronger than work built solely on abstraction.
4. Community Matters — But So Do Boundaries
Many of the most meaningful parts of my twenties were shaped by community. Activist circles in Vancouver. Collaborators in Australia. Research partners in India. Friends who understood why this work mattered.
But I also learned that not every relationship needs to last forever. Growth changes people. Values shift. Energy is finite.
You can honour shared history without maintaining proximity. You can appreciate what someone once contributed to your life without continuing the relationship indefinitely. Being selective about who you invest in emotionally and professionally is not unkind — it is sustainable.
Meaningful relationships amplify impact. Misaligned ones drain it.
5. Build a Culture of Care, Not Just Moments of Self-Care
The impact space often glorifies overwork. Passion becomes a justification for exhaustion. But burnout is not a badge of honour.
Even after years of understanding burnout intellectually, I still experienced it recently in a way that stopped me in my tracks. That reminder reinforced something important: care cannot be reactive. It has to be structural.
A culture of care means building systems in your life that support you before crisis hits. It means boundaries, supportive friendships, sustainable workloads and honest self-reflection. It means recognising that you are not more valuable when you are exhausted.
Care is not indulgent. It is foundational.
6. Balance Personal Growth with Systemic Change
In my early twenties, I focused intensely on understanding systems — policy, development, activism, theory. What I underinvested in initially was personal development.
Over time, I realised these two things are inseparable. The work of transforming systems is strengthened when the people doing it are also committed to transforming themselves.
You cannot build a just society while neglecting your own growth. Emotional intelligence, self-awareness, communication skills and internal resilience are not separate from social impact. They are part of it.
Changemaking is not only external. It is internal too.
7. Be Audacious — Even When You Don’t Meet the Criteria
On paper, I did not perfectly qualify for my honours program. I did not meet the standard requirements for my PhD. But I applied anyway. I asked questions. I made my case.
Many applications throughout my twenties were rejected. But the ones that weren’t reshaped my life.
Taking risks does not guarantee success. It guarantees growth.
If something feels aligned but slightly beyond your current credentials, apply. Ask. Try. Audacity often opens doors that cautious perfectionism keeps closed.
8. Understand Before You Persuade
Early activism can be fuelled by urgency and the desire to convince. Over time, I’ve come to see the power of understanding.
When you seek to understand someone’s worldview rather than dismantle it immediately, something shifts. Dialogue becomes possible. Complexity becomes visible. Empathy replaces caricature.
Understanding does not require agreement. But it builds bridges that persuasion alone rarely can.
In a polarised world, curiosity is radical.
9. Impact Is Bigger Than Your Career
In your twenties, it is easy to equate identity with career. Especially in the impact space, where purpose and profession intertwine.
But impact extends beyond job titles. It shows up in mentoring. In volunteering. In conversations. In research. In community participation. In how you treat people daily.
Your career is one channel for contribution. It is not the only one.
Recognising this removes pressure and expands possibility.
10. Follow Curiosity, Not Just Passion
We are told constantly to follow our passion. But passion can be loud and intimidating. Curiosity is quieter and more sustainable.
I was not passionate about every opportunity that shaped my twenties. I was curious. Curious enough to apply. Curious enough to explore. Curious enough to say yes.
Curiosity has a way of nudging you toward growth edges. Often, passion develops after you step through them.
If you are unsure where to go next, follow what intrigues you.
Closing a Decade, Beginning Another
My twenties were not a straight line. They were a collection of experiments, risks, pivots and moments of unexpected clarity. There were setbacks, burnout periods, re-evaluations and identity shifts. But there was also momentum, courage and deep learning.
Turning 30 does not mean having everything figured out. It means having gathered enough experience to recognise that certainty was never the goal. Alignment was.
The next decade will likely be just as unpredictable. But if the lessons of my twenties have taught me anything, it’s this: you do not need perfect plans. You need intention. You need courage. You need curiosity. And you need community.
Everything else unfolds from there.
