Last year, as I was approaching 50, I decided to set goals and intentions for the next decade of my life. I put pen to paper and listed 50 things I would aim to do while I was 50. When I turned 51 I would make a list of 51 things. If I could accomplish my goals each year I would have completed 545 things by the time I turned 60.
Now, before you think this sounds overly ambitious, know that these goals and intentions were a mix of more serious and fun aspirations. Some were easy and could be accomplished in a couple hours, while others would take effort over the year.
Examples include donating blood, planting 10 trees, reaching 2000 hours of teaching yoga, getting a tattoo, and running 5 km. Some of the things on my list were completed. Others were not.
Yet, things I hadn’t even imagined came up over the year that I added to things I did while I was 50. On the day before my 51st birthday, I reviewed my list and found I had done 52 things that made the list while 50.
I then curated a new list for being 51. Some goals I didn’t accomplish while I was 50 are now on this year’s list. This year again it is a mix of fun and serious. I still want to run that 5 km. There are also books I want to read, and books I want to publish. I want to make time to go to five concerts. I want to create some online yoga content for people with dementia, and some for those caring for people with dementia.
Again, I don’t expect to check everything off my list. And I am curious about what surprises might present themselves this year.
For me, it is about the intention setting. It is easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of our lives. Sometimes our aspirations get left at the end of our never-ending to-do lists. This is a little tool that has helped me set intentions. It has also helped me carve out time to do those things that were important enough to make the list. I also found it magical to look back on the last day and see my year at 50 in review. Without writing it down I might not have remembered all things that made up my life at 50.
Now 51 I am excited for the year ahead 🙂
Do you ever set goal challenges? What strategies have worked for you? What fun things make your list?