How to Live Your Dream Life Now (Without Waiting for Big Milestones In Your 30s)

You don’t have to wait for the big milestones to start living your best life. You don’t have to wait until you’re married, until you’ve bought a house, until you’ve had children, or until you’ve travelled to 40 countries. You don’t have to wait until you’ve hit any kind of milestone to start living a life you love, a life you’re obsessed with, a life that feels good every single day.

This is one of the biggest mistakes so many 30-somethings make: believing you have to tick off all these boxes in order to feel valued, successful, or “on track.” Society tells us that to be thriving in your 30s, you must have the ring, the kids, the mortgage. Otherwise, you’re failing.

And I just don’t believe that’s true.

I believe you can still thrive in your thirties, even if your life doesn’t look exactly how you want it to yet. You can still enjoy the in-between chapter: the space between who you were in your twenties and who you’re becoming in your thirties, the space between your vision and your current reality.

So let’s talk about how you can stop waiting for milestones and start living parts of your dream life right now.

You Don’t Need Milestones to Be Happy in Your 30s

Here’s the truth: milestones don’t automatically equal happiness. You can be married, own a house, have kids, and still feel unfulfilled. On the other hand, you can be single, living with your parents, figuring it out, and still be living a life that feels incredible every single day.

The pressure to have it all figured out by 30 is bullshit. You don’t need to measure your worth against what you’ve “achieved” on paper. Instead, you get to ask: How can I start experiencing my dream life right now, before all the big things fall into place?

The Power of Living Your Vision Now

Think about the vision you have for your future. The version of you five years from now: the one who’s built the business, found the relationship, prioritised their health, bought the dream home.

Now ask yourself: what can I do today that symbolises me living part of that vision already?

This doesn’t mean overhauling your entire life overnight. It means choosing little actions, rituals, and habits that let you taste your dream life right now.

Why I Really Used To Wear My Bikini To work

Let me give you an example. Back in 2016, before I started my business, before I was living abroad again, I already knew that future-me would be running an online business and living by the beach.

But at that time? I was stuck in a 9–5 in the UK, miserable with the rain and craving that beach life.

So instead of focusing on how far away I was from my vision, I found one simple way to embody it: I wore my bikini under my work clothes.

In my mind, future-me was wearing a bikini on the beach while running her business. So present-me brought that tiny piece of the vision into her current reality.

Nine months later, I had moved to Honduras, started my business, and was wearing that bikini on the beach nearly every day.

That little action wasn’t just playful, it was powerful. It kept me anchored to my vision. It reminded me daily what I was working towards. And it made the process feel exciting instead of frustrating.

Practical Ways to Live Your Vision Today

So what does that look like for me right now, in my 30s?

When I think back to the vision I shared in my five-year plan, I ask myself: what can I do today that shows I’m already stepping into that version of myself?

Here are some examples:

• Romanticise my morning coffee: I picture future-me sipping coffee in her dream home office, so present-me makes my morning coffee feel like a ritual instead of just a caffeine fix.

• Work from a coffee shop: If my vision involves freedom, flexibility, and creativity, I can start embodying that by working outside my house right now.

• Move my body like future-me would: I want health and fitness to be a huge part of my life in five years. That starts now, with regular workouts in clothes that make me feel good.

• Unpause my Hinge profile: Future-me has her dream relationship. Present-me can start dating with intention, now.

• Create YouTube content as if thousands are watching: I want 15K subscribers by 40, so why not start creating as if I already have them?

These aren’t huge life changes. They’re daily, intentional choices that align me with my future self.

You Need to Stop Waiting Until "Someday"

You don’t need to wait until you’ve hit every milestone to feel successful or happy. You don’t need to wait until:

• You’ve bought a house

• You’ve met “the one”

• You’ve had children

• You’ve travelled the world

You can start today. Future-you doesn’t magically appear one day when you’ve ticked enough boxes. Future-you is built in the daily habits, choices, and moments you live right now.

Recognising the Dream Life Moments You’re Already Living

Here’s another recent example. A few weeks ago, I went out for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon with two of my closest friends, who are also business owners. We spent the afternoon at our favourite restaurant, eating food, drinking mocktails, and chatting about life and business.

As we walked back to the car, I realised: this is part of my dream day.

My dream day vision includes working in the morning, then lunch with the ladies, then a sunset on the beach. Okay, we were in Essex, not Bali, but still, that lunch was exactly what I’d envisioned.

I didn’t need to wait until I’d “made it” to experience that. I was already living it, right now.

Acknowledging those moments, practising gratitude for them, is so powerful. It shifts your focus from “I’ll only be happy when…” to “Wow, I’m already living parts of my dream.”

How to Start Living Your Dream Life in Your 30s

If you’ve been telling yourself: “When I do this, then I’ll be happy. When I achieve that, then I’ll start living my dream life.”—it’s time to stop.

You don’t have to wait. You get to start now. Here’s how:

1. Define your vision: Be clear about what future-you looks like

2. Find the small actions: Ask, what can I do today that reflects that vision?

3. Anchor it in your reality: Bring tiny rituals into your day that remind you of where you’re going

4. Celebrate the overlaps: Notice when pieces of your dream life are already happening

5. Stop waiting for milestones: You don’t need a ring, a house, or a title to start living with joy

The truth is, you don’t have to wait until you’ve hit the big milestones to feel like you’re living your dream life in your 30s. You don’t need to wait until you’ve achieved everything on your vision board to start experiencing joy, freedom, love, or success.

You get to take daily actions - tiny, simple steps - that allow you to embody your future self now. You get to recognise and celebrate the dream moments that are already happening. And you get to stop tying your worth to external milestones and instead build a life that feels good in the present.

So ask yourself: what can I do today to experience part of my dream life, right now?

Because you don’t need to wait until 40. You don’t need to wait until “someday.” You get to live it now.

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Hi, I’m Becka, a single 34 year old who doesn’t have kids and lives at home with her mum, and despite society’s desperate attempts, I don’t feel behind. I’m figuring out my 30s without believing I need to “get my shit together” in order to be successful or seen as valuable.

If you’re done feeling behind or like you’re “not enough,” this is your reminder you’re exactly where you need to be, and we’re in it together. Get a front row seat to how I’m building a confident life in my 30s (and how you can too) here.

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