Yesterday I had the pleasure of turning 40 years old. I've heard a lot about 40. This is the age where it gets really good. This is the age where you stop caring so much about what others think and start living the most complete you. This is the age where it all comes together.
It's (obviously) too soon for me to know if this is accurate for me or if my mileage will vary, but what I do know is that I have some really specific goals I want to work toward before I hit the half century mark. Being a lover of to-do lists (and checking things off of them), I decided creating a cohesive list of goals would get me on track. I also decided this would be the perfect time to start tackling this. I can literally knock off only 5 goals a year and be on track for completion. Since some of them are more expensive to pursue, this seems like it could be manageable. Also, I have a feeling some of these goals will happen at the same time, making this easier to accomplish.
I felt that all of the goals should be at least reasonably SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound). This meant that as great as I think it would be to win an Oscar, that is highly unlikely in my future. I also wanted to make sure that they are mainly things I can do myself one way or the other. While the idea of having someone name their child after me is charming, I really can't control that so it's not right for me to make that a goal. See where I'm going with all this? Clearly these goals are all time-bound (gotta get them done before I'm 50!)
For those of you who are interested in following along, as I complete a goal, I will come back here and mark it as done and link to the follow-up entry (if applicable) for that particular goal. So without further ado, the list:
- Ride a bike (I've never learned)
- Get a professional massage
- Work on a will (morbid, but necessary)
- Get physically fit
- Tackle a list of books (Harvard, Rory Gilmore, 50 of personal choice: still deciding)
- Tackle a list of movies (same concept)
- Make 50 recipes I've always wanted to try but never get around to
- Make 50 craft projects I've always wanted to, but haven't gotten around to yet
- Donate $500 to a charity (either at $50/year or all in one go)
- Sell a photograph or a piece of art I’ve made
- Go to Australia and New Zealand
- Open an Etsy shop (and hopefully sell some things there)
- Have a gallery showing of some kind (coffee shop, personal space rental, I'm not overly picky here)
- Publish a book of poetry
- Get false eyelashes
- Send 4 cards/letters a year (not including Christmas cards)
- Take a flying lesson
- Meet some very specific financial goals
- Try a Bloody Mary, Long Island Iced Tea, a Hurricane, and a top brand of Champagne (but not all in one night)
- Ride a Vespa in Italy
- See the Northern Lights
- Go to 221 B Baker Street
- Have a Guinness in Ireland
- See the real Eiffel Tower
- Build a snowman
- Finish going to all 50 States
- Drive a convertible
- See the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC
- Attend a Japanese tea ceremony in Japan
- Invest in stocks
- Go to Cuba
- Go to the top of the St. Louis Arch
- Go on another cruise (I've been on two at two very different points in my life)
- Have a tropical drink out of a coconut
- Catch snowflakes on my tongue
- See the lavender fields of Provence
- See Starry Night in person
- Learn how to can/preserve
- See Inveraray Castle in person
- Go ice cave hiking
- Go on a camel trek through Marrakech
- Try some of the very best caviar
- Go whale watching
- Go to a renaissance festival
- Pet a cow (and maybe even milk it!)
- Release a floating lantern
- Take a pin-up style photo
- See the Taj Mahal
- Take a fitness class that would be unusual for me (acroyoga, barre, spin, pole, burlesque, boxing, something like that)
- Stomp grapes to make wine
- (Bonus) Update this site at least semi-regularly