As far as I can tell, my parents did a lot of things right in raising me and my sister, and aside from "do unto others", "protect your family", and those sorts of things, perhaps the most important among them was that they taught me, both directly and indirectly, that there's no reason to place limits on the things I want to do. A couple of weeks ago, I summarized that idea in my status update on Facebook, which read, "James Harrington never learned to dream medium." That is a huge, huge gift my parents gave me. I hope my kids won't learn how to do that, either.
One of the unintended benefits of engaging in this little seemingly-impossible to-do list is that every so often, I get to see how my priorities have changed. It becomes clear that some things have weight and merit, and mean something deep down, while others may have been whims, or were otherwise trumped in importance by some new pursuit. I think that's a necessary and healthy part of the process. I'll write more extensively about this at the conclusion of this whole thing in Sept 2010, but I wanted to check in and give a little snapshot of where I stand, and where I'm going.
A couple bits of unsolicited advice, in case you're going to make any sort of list of goals (and I really, REALLY think you should):
1) Make sure you look at it often, and cross things off. Feeling that you've accomplished something is addictive, and gives the process momentum.
2) Make it personal. You have to include personal goals--things that will have real, life-altering meaning, that might even get you a little choked up. Ask forgiveness, repair relationships, enrich yourself through learning, re-try something you love and had given up, go someplace you never thought you'd go, re-connect with God.
3) It should go without saying, but let it be flexible. Give yourself the freedom to update the list as things grow and fade in importance. This list should drive your life forward, not bind you to the past.
4) Make a list. I mean it. There are studies that strongly suggest a positive correlation between success and writing down lists of goals. You have to see it in front of you. It has to remind you--even taunt you--about where you want to be. I don't know if it was something that my parents taught me or something I did instinctively, but when I used to make lists of goals, or job titles, or degrees, or whatever, they always had dates next to them. It forced me to take those big goals and see what the smaller steps were between me and them. I chose not to pursue most of them, but I knew how I was going to get there if I had so chosen.
5) Give yourself deadlines. Another no-brainer that gets lost in the shuffle. It's not good enough to say, "before I die." "June" is a much better--and more tangible--target. :)
6) Grow or go home. Make yourself uncomfortable. Just as a list like this should push you forward instead of binding you backward, I think it misses the point if the list only includes the sorts of things that are within one standard deviation of what you'd do anyway, given enough time and boredom. Those things have their places, especially on a list this long... but they're the low-hanging fruit. If you finish the list and have accomplished 101 things and aren't changed or challenged, or somehow improved, you've missed a huge opportunity.
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All right, that's all for now. It's time for football, and Sunday, and rest. I hope you're blessed today, and I pray that you recognize the ways in which you are.
