35 By 35: My plan to be awesome in 5 years or less

Posted on 29 October 2014 by Joseph

A couple months back I turned 30. Like it or not, resist it or embrace it, at least from a numerological standpoint it is a serious milestone. About three weeks prior to my birthday, I was talking to my younger sister and she mentioned that she had finished putting together her 30 by 30 list, a list of 30 things she wanted to accomplish by the time she reached my venerable age.

Naturally, I wanted to put together a similar list, but I realized that I would have to accomplish something awesome every day (and two some days) for the rest of the time before my birthday. Rather than pigeonhole myself into 30 pieces of low-hanging fruit, I decided to give myself another 5 years and create a 35 by 35 list. Strangely, it has taken from then until now to complete the list (maybe the list itself should have been on the list? meta.).

Without further ado, by 35 I hope to...

  1. Surf in the Pacific
  2. Live abroad
  3. See the Aurora (either one)
  4. Automate all of my income
  5. Speak basic conversational Spanish
  6. Boulder V8 outdoors
  7. Redpoint 5.13a outdoors
  8. Learn to ride a motorcycle
  9. Cook a whole pig
  10. Read all of Terry Pratchett
  11. Build a beautiful piece of furniture
  12. Finish the LA Times PoMo list
  13. Finish the Time book list
  14. Finish the AFI Top 100
  15. Kill, dress, clean, and eat an animal
  16. Play music for money
  17. Write some songs I really like
  18. Run a sub-20:00 5k
  19. Brew an excellent beer
  20. Complete a beer mile
  21. Learn to serve a tennis ball
  22. Play Chopin op. 48 on the piano (this will be nigh-impossible)
  23. Go to Cuba
  24. Ride in a helicopter
  25. Eat at a 3 Michelin star restaurant
  26. Learn to sail; sail on a long trip
  27. Get a fully tailored suit
  28. Play a full game of Diplomacy in person
  29. Finish the Sight and Sound top 250
  30. Climb a big wall and sleep on a portaledge
  31. Finish a whole NYT Sunday crossword in a single sitting
  32. Start another startup
  33. Close the Heavy Grips 250lb gripper
  34. Be part of a successful startup exit
  35. Go one full calendar month without buying anything

Maybe this post will keep me hungry, who knows. Wish me luck!

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