Happy New Year!
I was thinking about goals and New Year’s resolutions when I came upon the story of John Goddard—an adventurer, lecturer, and perhaps “the world’s greatest goal achiever.”
If you’ve ever read the book Chicken Soup for the Soul, you might be familiar with Goddard’s name. (His story was included in the book.) But in case you don’t know who he is, prepare to be amazed. He was the first man in history to explore the entire length of the Nile. Still thirsty for more, he also was the first man to ever explore the length of the Congo. He’s climbed the Matterhorn, lived among native tribes in Brazil, Borneo, and New Guinea (among others), and somehow found the time to learn to fence, fly a jet, and play the violin.
How did he manage to do all these things?
It all started like this: One rainy afternoon, when he was 15 years old, he sat down at his kitchen table and wrote three words:
“My Life List”
His list consisted of 127 goals: Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, Fuji, and Vesuvius. Visit every country in the world. (He made it to all but 30.) Photograph Victoria Falls in Rhodesia (where he was chased by a warthog). Dive underwater to explore the Great Barrier Reef. Visit everywhere from the Great Wall of China to the Taj Mahal, and 119 other goals in between.
Goddard died in 2013 at the age of 88, but not before completing 111 of the goals on his amazing list. You can see the entire list, and which goals he achieved, by visiting his website at www.johngoddard.info/life_list.htm. Or, just Google his name.
Looking at his list, I’m struck by how it mixes the grandiose (explore the Amazon) to the romantic (swim in Lake Victoria) to, well … the normal. Goddard didn’t just want to travel, he wanted to accomplish. That’s why he set (and met) goals like “Become an Eagle Scout,” “Type 50 words a minute,” “Learn to play Clair de Lune on the piano,” or “Teach a college course.”
It goes without saying that Goddard is a great example. While not all of us may “study native medicines,” like he did, or even want to, we all can sit down and decide what we really want in life.
And we can all take the necessary steps to achieve what we want in life.
A change in the calendar often coincides with a change in goals. Have there been any changes or additions to your personal “life list” lately? If so, I want to hear about them. More specifically, I’d like the chance to talk with you about them.
If this applies to you, please give my office a call at (719) 630-0600 or shoot me an email. Let’s setup a time for us to review your goals and your portfolio to make sure it remains optimally designed to help you reach those goals.
Ideally, I’d like to meet with you before we get too far into the year and old concerns edge out any new dreams you may have. There is nothing more important to me than ensuring that, like John Goddard, you too get to check off all the items on your life list.
I look forward to talking to you soon!
