The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

New Year's and birthdays are presented as perfect opportunities to make big changes, shake things up, take those first steps to completely change your life. It's so easy to invest in the idea that these days have magical, transformational powers, but the truth is that New Year's or your birthday is a day just like any other.

This was hard for me to accept when I was younger. I thought my birthdays would be magical, or at least special. I thought I'd wake up taller, smarter, prettier, more confident, but rarely did. I didn't wake up with long flowing hair on my eighth birthday despite all my wishing. I wasn't any more mature the day I turned 16 than I was the day before when I was still 15.

Life changes tend to amass over days, weeks, months, years. You work up to those goals and breakthroughs by taking many steps, chipping away, very rarely does anything happen all at once. And if your life does change that quickly, it could just as easily happen on some random Tuesday as it could on New Year's or your birthday.

Even though I know all this, even though I'm pretty certain that the day of my 35th birthday will be like every other day, the only difference being I'll sleep in a bit because I'm taking the day off, I still have that tiniest bit of hope that something extraordinary will happen. I don't have a vision of what it will be just that I'd like it to be. Maybe it won't be one big extraordinary thing but the spark or movement toward that big extraordinary life-changing event.

That was my colleague Joni's 35th birthday. An unexpected phone call the morning of her birthday put into the motion a series of events that did change her life for the better. Since turning 35, Joni got married, had two beautiful daughters, traveled to several countries, saved up enough money to buy another house and changed industries after more than 20 years.

Before all that, she turned 35 and got that phone call.

Your name Joni O.

What year did you turn 35? 2003

Where were you living then? Harbor City, California

What were you doing then (working, going to school, raising kids, etc.)? When I turned 35, I was working full-time for the same company where I am currently employed. I was single, living with my dog Rocky.

What big personal milestones happened when you were 35 (got married, bought a house, moved to a new city, started a new job, etc.)? The morning of my 35th birthday, the phone rang at 6:45 a.m. I couldn't imagine who would be calling me that early in the morning; it was an old boyfriend from several years prior who called to say he remembered my birthday and wanted to send me well wishes. That phone call led me down a path I thought I would never travel. We began dating immediately and traveled to Egypt several months later on vacation. It was a destination that I told him I had always wanted to visit and he was interested as well. A few days into our trip, he proposed to me on a camel in Giza in front of the pyramids, a day I will never forget.

What major events happened in the world that year? The Do Not Call List started providing consumers with an opportunity to limit telemarketing calls. Harley-Davidson Motor Cycles celebrated its 100th birthday. California voters recalled Gov. Gray Davis from office and elected Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him. The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas upon reentry, killing all seven astronauts onboard. The highly infectious disease SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) spread from China, Singapore and Vietnam. Worldwide, nearly 9,000 people were infected in 15 countries and over 800 died from the effects. Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces. The Asian bird flu outbreak, also known as avian influenza, had people in a panic.

What are your favorite memories of being 35? I fell in love and began the next chapter of my life.

What did you like best about yourself at that age? I felt very independent, financially secure and comfortable with my life, and was always planning the next item to accomplish on my "bucket list."

What were the biggest lessons you learned at that age? Anything can happen in a moment's time that will change the rest of your life. We all have the ability to make choices to change our life at any given moment, the question is will you take the risk of the unknown for change? I did and I have no regrets.

What were the biggest misconceptions you had about being 35? I'd never find a man and have a family, I was too old. I wasn't even sure if I wanted kids at that time in my life.

What advice can you offer to other 35-year-old women? It's never too late to fall in love or start a family. If you really want a family, adopt!