There are posts around the blogosphere titled “30 by 30” or “30 Before 30” that I’m really enjoying which list the goals the bloggers hope to accomplish before reaching the ripe age of 30. Well, I’m well over 30 so I thought I’d put together my own “40 by 40.” I’m 38 so I have less than 2 years to do the following.
Family
1. Birth a healthy and happy baby boy.
2. Baptize bouncing baby boy.
3. Celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary.
4. Buy real estate in the San Francisco Bay Area.
5. Buy a car safe enough for baby.
6. Buy a real live Christmas tree.
7. Get a dog.
Health
8. Ditch Kaiser for the duration of my pregnancy.
9. Lose weight gained from babies and get back down to 85 pounds.
10. Run a race.
11. Learn how to swim.
12. Condition my body to do the splits again.
Blogging
13. Find a blog assistant that I love.
14. Do 5 more guest posts. 10/16/13 Project Underblog
15. Secure 5 more sponsorships.
16. Write for BlogHer.
17. Write for Babble.
18. Reach 25,000 Twitter followers.
19. Learn how to better style and post my photos.
20. Do a vlog.
Community and Fun
21. Go to an Oakland A’s playoff game.
22. Go to my 20 year high school reunion.
23. Go to a San Francisco 49ers game.
24. Go to a Cal Rugby game.
25. Book Club–Thank God for book club otherwise I’d never read actual books.
26. Movie Night–watch more classics.
27. Go to Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha.
28. Try floatation therapy.
29. Go to House of Air in Crissy Field.
30. Go to Burning Man Decompression.
31. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. 9/28/13
32. Hike to the Tourist Club in Mount Tamalpais.
33. Go to trivia night.
34. Volunteer.
35. Visit a new state.
36. Travel internationally.
37. Campaign for Hillary Clinton as the next POTUS.
Me
38. Pray and practice imagery every day.
39. Actively forgive.
Finances
40. Save $$$$$ and remain on plan to retire by 55.
41. For each goal not completed, donate $100 to favorite non-profits.
Patrick Weseman
Nice list.
Life begins at 40-LOL.
I hope that you accomplish everything on that impressive list. I must say that life can really change in ten years. I learned that big time. Now that I am looking at 45 dead ahead, I feel that the lessons, good and bad, I have learned have helped shaped my future.
Oh, I am planning to retire at 55 and nine months. HEHEHE
Catherine
patrick, you can tell me all the ins and outs of retirement once i get there!
Janine Huldie
I will be 40 in four short years and have done some of these myself, but not all. Great list and hope you accomplish all you set out to!!! 🙂
Catherine
thanks janine, i will blog about what i end up accomplishing!
Dana
Wait a minute – you have never walked over the Golden Gate Bridge? These are great goals – the only blogging one I’ve accomplished is a vlog, which I’d love to see from you. I imagine you as very poised and well spoken 🙂 May you accomplish every one of these goals – and blog about each one!
Patrick Weseman
I have been on top of the Golden Gate Bridge on a tower tour.
Catherine
i know isn’t that crazy? you know how you sometimes end up never doing things because they’re in your home town. i really need to walk over the GG bridge stat!
Samantha
I love these lists too, I may have to do one of these myself. 🙂 Some great ideas – I think I should find a book club in my area also!
Catherine
yes please do one. i love reading these lists!
Kate
I love your plan for goals not met. I should come up with a 40 by 40 list too. Which ones do you think will be most difficult to achieve?
Catherine
yeah that money incentive will keep me honest. i don’t want to fork over $4,000 on my 40th birthday. the hardest ones seem to be some of the blogging ones. for some reason, i can’t seem to penetrate into blogher or babble despite pitching several stories to editors. and getting a dog…that will be a big commitment as i’ve never had a dog before!
Amy Kavelaris
Ok, you are the CUTEST! I loved reading this!! You are simply adorable.
Catherine
thank you amy! i want to see a list of goals from you too!
Tamara
I only got halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge! It was so cold and windy that we all bagged it and called it a day. Someday.
I am still getting to know you so I didn’t realize you were expecting? What a fabulous list!
Catherine
my husband told me to take the GG bridge one off the list because he is scared of heights! haha! too bad, so sad. he will have to stay in the car 😉
thedoseofreality
Love how specific your goals are…have you given any thought to what might happen if you birth a healthy baby girl? 😉 Your last one is my favorite, and I might have to steal it for my own goal list!-Ashley
Catherine
ashley, i would be just as happy to have a healthy baby girl. the only reason i’m specific is because they say goals should be specific and i try to visualize them in my mind, so for now i picture a blubbery spittle-filled boy. yes, gotta have the monetary incentive built in. i don’t want to write a check for $4,000 on my 40th birthday.
Stevie
Ha I totally thought that when I read it, Catherine. I thought oh she is manifesting!
CeCe @Pink Sunshine
I love it that this is a 40 by 40 list. The 30 by 30 lists make me feel old!!! I am conditioning my body for splits again too!! I have the left down which has always been my more flexible leg and I’m needing to get the right better. I can go down but it really hurts. You really have to stretch consistently. I miss too many days and it’s like starting all over. Good luck!! I have Kaiser. I haven’t had any issues but then again I also don’t have a major medical condition to truly test it.
Catherine
cece, if your 30 by 30 list makes you feel old. how do you think a 40 by 40 list makes me feel? i was like, “wuh, i have to tack on another 10 goals?” so much to do, so little time.
Mo at Mocadeaux
I love that your list covers so many different parts of your life. My husband is very anxious to ride his bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Maybe we will see you there! 😉
Catherine
mo, by the time i’m 40, we both better have traversed the golden gate bridge by bike or walking.
Karen
What a great list! I’ve seen these 30 by 30 and 40 by 40 lists. But, I discovered them too late. I’m five months from 50 and not only does a 50 by 50 list sound ridiculous, there’s no time to finish it! Maybe a list like 14 in ’14 would be manageable. Anyway… I like that you broke them into categories. Look forward to watching you scratch these things off your list.
Catherine
thanks karen. would love to see you put together a list. you are so creative, i know you’ll find an interesting way!
Michelle
What an amazing list! I might steal some of these. But now I am working on 50 before 50…at least I have 6 years to go!
Catherine
yes, michelle, a 50 by 50 list, especially with 6 years to go means you can put some real doozies on there:
– skydiving
– pole dancing
– triathalon
the world is your oyster!
Rachel
What a great idea and great list! Catherine, you strike me as someone who gets things done. So I have no doubt that you will check most of these off your list…unless you change your mind, which is also totally fine! And thank you for your comment about the book on pregnancy myths. I can’t wait to check it out. I’m very intrigued.
Catherine
thank you rachel. i do love making lists. i think it’s also heartening to look back at these lists / new year’s resolutions / whatever you want to call them and see how many you’ve accomplished. i usually tick them all off. not always by the deadline, but eventually they all get done.
Stevie
I didn’t do a 30 by 30 either. I didn’t start blogging until 30, so it wasn’t even on my radar. You’ve got my wheels turning though. I love your list. I would love to see a vlog by you.
Catherine
stevie, you’ve got to do a 35 by 35!
juliette
Hi Catherine, I LOVE this list! Talk about ambitious…but something tells me you’ll get it all done.
I found an old “to do” list that I wrote when I was in my 20s and it was funny to see what I wanted to accomplish. Maybe I’ll turn elements of my vision board into a formal written list…and hopefully get them all checked off this time:)
Catherine
juliette, i would love to see your list! it really is funny to look back in time at old lists and see how many you ticked off. i love vision boards as well. i need to do one. i feel like vision boards have been replaced by pinterest, but there’s no substitute for a good old fashioned vision board!
Simone Anne
I adore these! I do 100 things at the beginning of every year, although its not a check list but rather more of a guide to where I want to go that year.
p.s. If you want to guest post, you have an open invitation to write about a trip for We Are Adventure!! xo
Catherine
simone, i will definitely take you up on that offer. thank you!
Sarah at Journeys of The Zoo
That’s a great list! In your old age, you might not have realized that you put 41 items on your list. Love the last one the best.
I guess I have to get started on the 50 by 50…
Besos, Sarah
Blogger at Journeys of The Zoo