Want to live your life so you don’t waste a minute? Make every birthday count! Which means, instead of regretting what you didn’t accomplish in the past year, make plans and set goals for the new year. Here are some ideas for celebrating a “no-regrets birthday” - courtesy of Shape magazine:

  • Before you turn 25:
    • Live on your own. Bunking down with your parents may be easy on your wallet, but the years from 18 to 25 are perfect for figuring out what’s important to you. Even little decisions, like whether to have pizza for dinner or cereal, help you chart out the sort of life that’ll make you happiest.
    • And travel. Have an adventure or two before you settle into a marriage and career. It’s hard to climb Everest with a diaper bag.
  • Before your 35th birthday:
    • Get a handle on your finances. Get rid of frivolous debt and plan for the future.
    • Also, get real about your health. Make those changes you’ve been putting off - like losing those excess pounds, quitting smoking and developing an exercise regimen. It’s not about vanity - it’s about enjoying a long and active life.
  • And before your 50th birthday:
    • Try being a mentor. It’s your chance to give back some of your hard-earned wisdom and experience. Help the new guy at work or find an organization that helps kids.
    • Also, your forties are a perfect time to reexamine your life’s purpose. Look at the bigger picture. If what you’re doing everyday is out of line with what really matters to you, now’s the time to change.
    • And finally, before you turn 50: revisit what you loved in your youth. Return to those early passions and hobbies you put on hold while you were building your adult life. Start a novel, take up dancing or fix-up an old car. It isn’t a midlife crisis. It’s a chance to do something you really love.  And accomplishing what you’ve always dreamed of will help you appreciate your future birthdays that much more.