26 Before 26 – Results

It seems like just yesterday that I turned 26. In reality, it was four months ago, bringing the end of my 26 before 26 list. Getting rid of procrastination was not one of my goals and this post was delayed as a result. This is my second year of making a list of goals. Last year I went 3 of 25. This year I completed 7 of 25.

The Bad

A large number of goals resulted in some that don’t even get started…

#2 Save $50,000
#6 Complete Pimsleur Lessons 1-30 in Haitian Creole
#16 Write a Book
#19 Go Skydiving
#20 Take a Glass Blowing Class
#23 Become SCUBA certified
#24 Learn to Pick Locks
#25 Set a World Record

Partial Completion

#18 Help 3 Other People Reach One of Their Goals

Back in March, I helped my friend Zach run his first marathon. ‘Helped’ is a strong word, as he ended up pulling me across the finish line. I would recommend the L.A. marathon. I would not recommend eating the ice cream sandwiches at mile 20.

#14 Go To Church Once A Month

I went to church eight times attending services for Quakers, Catholics, and Christians. I’d like to thank all my friends who invited me out to their churches (Wes, Nathan, Matt) and then my three friends who had weddings (Annie, Barb, Jarod). After consulting other attendees, I considered the weddings as ‘going to church’ if they said the Lord’s prayer.

#13 50 Blog Posts

I wrote 13 blog posts this year, with the most popular one being a post about my girlfriend.

#5 Volunteer 200 Hours

I continued hanging out with my Little Brother through Big Brothers / Big Sisters and also tutored a coworker at the car wash in Pre-Calculus. Total Volunteer Time = 83 hours.

#9 100,000 YouTube Views For Lethal Engineering

I created zero videos over the year, but my rocket launcher video got picked up by HackADay generating 7,500 views in one day. My videos combined had 34,607 views over the course of the year.

#10 Bike 10,000 Miles
#11 Run 2,000 Miles
#12 Swim 1,000,000 Yards

Biked 2042.82 Miles
Ran 654.60 Miles
Swam 154,868 Yards

#22 Build or Restore a Car

This seems to be everyone’s favorite goal (besides my mother). I bought a 1968 Chevy G10 last July and have received numerous offers for help since then. Unfortunately, the only work I’ve done on it was getting a V8 for it from an old Chevy Suburban. Don’t worry though, there are still big plans for it.

The 7 of 26 I completed

#1 Get a Tattoo

This goal required some money and pain. I worried about what other people would think, but a year later, I’m really glad I went through with it.

#4 Eat Vegetarian for A Month

Last November, I went  30 days without eating meat. That said, I didn’t eat healthy. Cheese Pizza, French Fries, and Chocolate Milk Shakes were all allowed under this month long diet. Addressing my diet is going to be a large part of next year’s goals.

#7 Travel To Haiti

Back in February, I traveled down to Haiti to visit my girlfriend who was spending a year volunteering with Partners in Health.

#8 Go Skinny Dipping

When in the DR…

#15 Read 20 Books

Reading has been a habit that has changed my life. I need to do a post with specific examples, but can say with certainty that if you watch television and don’t read then you should immediately sell your flat screen and purchase a Kindle. The impact reading has had on my general happiness has been gigantic.  For whatever reason, I stopped keeping track of the books I read when I hit 22 in January. Here are some of my favorites.

#17 Get Promoted

In October 2014, I quit my job to start my own business. It’s probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Leaving a career where I worked for great people and was compensated really well was a big risk. I went four months without any consistent work and resorted to getting a part time job at the car wash to have some source of income. Going from a salary job to close to minimum wage was a reality check. Business has picked up since then and I love it. I don’t think most people would consider working longer hours for less money to be a promotion, but I enjoy the opportunity and additional responsibility.

#26 Learn to Throw Ninja Stars

Big shout out to my friend Carlos for this suggestion. My Little Brother and I had a blast doing this.

How long are you going to keep this up? The 50 before 50 list is going to be tough!

Setting goals and going after them works well for me. Publicizing them holds me accountable. Over the course of this year, I’ve realized how fortunate I am to have great friends who who are supportive of my goals. Stay tuned for the 27 Before 27 List next week.