2024
goals
2024 is the year I turn 35. I feel no different than 25, but now I've got the knowledge and experience to make every second count. This year will see Project Best Year Ever executed, including overlanding Africa, living on a sailboat in Turkey, heavy metal concerts in Europe, and packrafting the high Arctic. All while balancing with work!
Personal
-Main goal: enjoy every moment. Focus on the moment, instead of the future. The year should not explicitly be about self-improvement, progress, or achievement. Instead, it should be about having fun, living to the fullest, and realising the ‘now’ is what matters.
Secondary goals: relax, take things slow (sometimes), enjoy the good AND the bad, and continue to try new things. Take every opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people, become a new person. Be more patient, less demanding, and dissolve the ego.
Adventure Goals
-Main goal: take a temporary break from adventure. Relatively speaking, of course. Overlanding Africa isn't so much an adventure for us, compared to previous experiences.
The reason for the break? Last year's adventures were so intense that I'm electing to focus on pure fun rather than fear, dread and consequence. We'll still be in the wilderness, pushing ourselves, and taking some risks, but not at the level of the previous few years. Until next year, that is...
Relationship Goals
-Treat her as best you can. Relationship is precious, time is fleeting, and no moment is not special.
-Try to get family abroad for big trip - parents will not have good health forever!
-Make a new friend. Keep old friends. Don't be afraid to give respect to those that deserve it.
Health Goals
-Main goal: continue with excellent health, and always try to improve in weightlifting, endurance, diet and 9-hour sleep practices.
I got certified as a Bodybuilding Specialist with ISSA in late 2023. While I already had quite a bit of knowledge and experience in this area, I made a few tweaks to my exercise routine, such as shorter rest times, pushing to failure instead of numbers, and eating my big meal after, instead of before, my workouts. Time will show how effective these tweaks are.
Otherwise, I’ve been thrilled with my health, and wish for another year of perfect health. It’s not always easy to find a gym and maintain healthy, gluten-free diets in foreign countries (looking at you, Africa!), but it’s worth the effort.
As for new health goals, I’d like to increase flexibility. Adding on near-daily stretching is my secondary health goal for the year.
Career Goals
-Main Goal: Return to ER in late 2024, continue to enjoy it. The work is good, the work environment is good, coworkers are good. It's a job I've come to love, at least at my current work location. I see no reason, at this point, to give it up.
Travel Goals
-Main Goal: Project Best Year Ever
-Stage 1: Overloading Southern Africa
-Stage 2: Sailing the Mediterranean in Turkey
-Stage 3: Heavy Metal Concerts in Europe
-Stage 4: Packrafting the Scandinavian Arctic
Should be about 15 new countries!
Have fun every moment, try new experiences, be sociable, wake up for sunrise, make time to watch the sunsets!
If all goes according to plan, return to work in Montana in September. If feasible, sneak off to the Caribbean in winter for a few weeks!
Travel is precious, never underappreciate it!