Today, I turn thirty.

There are many natural check points through the year that force us to both look back and take stock as well as look ahead with hope and a plan. Birthdays are definitely among such check points, which also include New Year's and anniversaries.

Taking stock of what has gone by is helpful in identifying what has gone well for us and what hasn't and to discern patterns that show us our own hidden perspectives. After all, it is easier to connect the dots looking backward.

And the idea is that we use these perspectives to plan what's ahead of us slightly better than we used to. As the theory goes, more the useful information, better the formulation of a plan.

At the end of the day, this is another check point, another milestone.