Accomplishing Goals

Picture taken from here.

Awhile back I read a book by Jill Smolinski called The Next Thing On My List. It is about a woman completing someone else's goals before that someone would have turned 25. When I read it, I thought about the goals I had as a kid. I wrote this big long list of absurd and not-so-absurd things.

Looking back, I realize that I know myself better now than I did when I wrote that list, and there are some things that I have no desire to do, which are likely only on the list because I thought they looked good in the world's eyes. It is cool to be able to scratch some things off my list as I do them, but also to be able to scratch certain things off the list because I know that I really have no desire to do them or to prove to anyone that I could do them.

After reading The Next Thing On My List, I came up with two big goals that I wanted to accomplish before I turn 30. One was a lifelong goal, something I have always wanted to do, but never really believed that I could. The other was something that happened randomly without much planning or initiation on my part. But it was still something that I would be able to do before my next birthday.

Goal #1. Run a marathon. I did that on May 7th, as I have written. It was a life-changer, something that changed my perspective about myself and about my running, and this is something that I want to keep doing in my life. It may or may not be marathons that I continue, but I want to keep setting goals that involve running and exercise.

Goal #2. Visit all 48 contiguous states of the United States. I realized awhile back that I had visited 42 states, just lacking the New England states, Hawaii, and Alaska. I have been able to visit these states because of my two years traveling with Youth Encounter and my current job which has me leading events around the nation. I had an event scheduled in New Hampshire this last weekend, so I decided to take advantage of getting to New Hampshire and take a small driving tour of New England. (See yesterday's post.) So now I can say that I have been to all 48 contiguous states, but I must admit something. That statement alone makes it seems like I have been a lot of places, and I can't deny that, but in going to these places, it is obvious that there is so much more to see, explore, and know. Going to one adorable town in Vermont is not nearly enough to say that I've explored Vermont. I can simply say that I have been to Vermont, and I have a desire to experience more of its beauty.

So my 30th birthday is in just over 4 months. But I can already check off the two major life goals that I wanted to accomplish before then. I wonder...what's the next thing on my list going to be?