In August 2010, after completing a wonderful three weeks at Epidemiology summer camp in Ann Arbor, Michigan (I know, right? I’m THAT cool…), I found myself back in the Toronto area having dinner with my good friend Marie. It was a beautiful day outside; we were sitting on a patio at some restaurant located at the Harbourfront Centre downtown. It was around the Caribana weekend, and men and women were all dressed in white awaiting the start of their boat cruise where they’d party the night away. There was a light breeze in the air, and a bird flew by. I was oddly subdued and mellow. It was a few days before my 29th birthday.
Marie: “What’s going on with you?”
Me: “Things are going good. I’m good.”
Marie: “You’re so mellow, it’s weird!”
Me: “OMG, woe is me!” [Eye roll; dramatic sigh]. “I just don’t know what to do. I lack direction and need something to help me focus. But what can a humble analyst do?” [Sip my drink… let’s say wine]It’s true. I was looking a bit spacey. I can’t quite recall what I was thinking about, but I want to say that the realization that my month long break from work was coming to an end weighed on my mind, and I would soon return to Calgary, at 29, with a lack of a life plan. I had no S.M.A.R.T. goals (i.e. goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). I was like a lost puppy, both in terms of cuteness and being lost. The following conversation took place VERBATIM:
Marie: [SLAP] “Snap out of it, man, and pull yourself together!”
Me: “I can’t believe I’m turning 29. It’s that much closer to that age next year.”
Marie: “Eureka! I know EXACTLY what you need to do. You need to create a list. A list of 30 things you want to accomplish before you’re 30. In other words, a “30 before 30″ LIST! My friend Claire has one, and I’ve started one, and it’s the Best. Thing. EVER!”
Okay, so maybe the conversation didn’t go exactly like that. Marie is awesome and not violent, so she wouldn’t have slapped me. Nor would she have used the word “Eureka!”. And I do think we referred to 30 as that year, but it’s really NBD, no big deal, as it’s just a number. But the main point of it all is that I sat there, moved, and lost in thought. Marie was absolutely right!
There are so many things many of us talk about wanting to do… I want to do this, that, and the other…. and sometimes those ‘things’ get lost in our thoughts, we forget about them, or put them off for another rainy or sunny day. Or maybe we just can’t work up the courage to even attempt them in the first place. I definitely have a good collection of these ‘things’.
So Marie and I began working on my list right then and there, entering items into the Notes application on my iPhone. It was inspiring. One may even call the process epic and awesome. My list would consist of OMG-you-haven’t-done-that items, like trying a gin and tonic, as well as bigger goals, like run a half marathon. Some are not S.M.A.R.T goals, but items to help guide me. And not all of the items are new. Some are things I wanted to make sure I do (again) at some point between list creation in August 2010 and my 30th birthday in August 2011. And if I don’t accomplish them all, I won’t sentence myself to the depths of despair. Like I said, my list is a guide. But it’s true what they say: by writing down these goals, there’s now a greater chance that I’ll complete them. And now I’ve started creating other lists, including my 3 Things Before 32, and my work in progress Things-I-Hope-To-Do-In-My-Lifetime-(Not a Bucket List)-List. What I’m really trying to say is that I’m a nerd, and I like To-Do Lists. So thank you, Marie, for making me start my 30 before 30 List. I dedicate this blog posting to you! And now others like Dan and Beth, with their 101 things to do in 1001 days, continue to inspire me and keep me motivated to accomplish as much as I can in my lifetime. Pure awesomeness indeed :).
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 