Sunday, December 15, 2013

Why the list?

You might ask, why make a list of things to try to do before a relatively arbitrary date? There are really a multitude of reasons and I can't think of any solid reasons not to. Overall, I saw this as a way to break out from my standard physical goals and put some effort towards relationships and other important aspects of life.

Reason 1 - Running on default

In life, it's way too easy to run on default (the two sweetest words in the English language). We're programmed to follow what everyone else does. At one point in our history this made sense when that could mean life and death. Today, most of the time it means leading a boring life full of keeping up with the Joneses. By putting this list together and choosing things that are outside of my comfort zone, it forces me to do something new.

Reason 2  - I'm a goal driven person

This is the easiest reason for me. I do very well with structured goals. Without them, I tend to flounder. By putting together a solid list of goals, I am encouraged to do something new and exciting all the time.

Reason 3 - Experience all the things!

I view life as a collection of experiences. While it's nice to have in-depth experiences, that takes a lot of time and dedication. I prefer to just experience all the things. As I experience new things, new paths unfold before me. With this list, I have no real plans of diving deeper into any of these things (well, except for the ultra marathon). But I'm open to becoming enamored with something on the list because of how it felt, and I'll go down that path to experience more.

Reason 4 - Why not?

Seriously, nothing bad will happen if I do, there's only upside.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh my gosh you started a blog! You rock at getting things done! Maybe it's because you make time-based goal lists...?

Unknown said...

I didn't really realize that my good goals are time-based. I guess the ones I hit are all time-based. Nice observation.

Rick said...

At first glance I have to say great list! I made a similar list way back in 2006 and titled it "100 things I want to accomplish in my life." I still have the original list that was written in pencil on engineering paper...yep nerdy through and through. Anwyay, I have to agree with you on several points. To many people go through life without actually "experiencing" many things. Most are concerned with having the latest gadgets, or the newest cars, or watching their favorite 17 tv shows each week. (I still meet people that can't believe I don't own a TV). But as you mentioned, life is about experiences, not things! The older I get the more selective I am about who my close friends are. I tend to let those with similar views/outlooks get very close and those who are on their iphones while we are sitting at dinner having a conversation....well, they aren't quite as close to me. Goals give our lives purpose. They give us a reason to push ourselves and to learn something new. I firmly believe that people who don't set goals and strive to create experiences in their lives really never grow as people. Well this is way to long to be just a comment now, but I applaud you Matthew and wish you the best of luck on your list!