Maybe this is a cheat. Maybe it’s actually “3 Before 30.” But I was inspired when I found my old laptop from when I was in college. It’s cobalt blue, weighs about ten times what my current computer does, and has three inspirational NaNoWriMo pressed into it near the keyboard.

To my surprise, I found several stories I thought I’d lost, and several more I don’t even remember. I also found this list, “25×25,” which I wrote about in a previous blogpost on The Other Website Which Shall Not Be Named.

(I’ll give you a spoiler now: I accomplished about 8 of the 25 goals on that list.)

So now that I’m older and wiser, I want a do-over. I’m going to try this whole list thing again, only I’m going to focus on three main goals I want to accomplish, and ten small subgoals that will act as benchmarks along the way.

You ready?

Goal 1: Be conversationally fluent in Spanish (and to celebrate this milestone, take myself on a 30th birthday trip to Argentina).

1. Complete Duolingo
2. Write a short story entirely in Spanish.
3. Read an old favorite series in Spanish.
4. Read a new novel or series in Spanish.
5. Watch my favorite movie in Spanish.
6. Watch a telenovela from start to finish.
7. Reach out to (and watch!) some Spanish-speaking authortubers or booktubers.
8. Make a video where I speak entirely in Spanish (and translate my own subtitles!).
9. Translate one of my own published works into Spanish.
10. Travel to Argentina and speak Spanish there!

Goal 2: Feel healthy and strong. (Maybe celebrate with a triathlon or one of those obstacle races?? TBD.)

1. Complete Couch to 5K (….again).
2. Complete Couch to 10K.
3. Be able to hold a (freestanding) handstand for 20 seconds.
4. Run a 5K under 30 minutes.
5. Run a 10K under 1 hour.
6. Easily complete 10 push-ups without stopping.
7. Successfully run an entire half-marathon (without stopping to walk).
8. Complete 1 unassisted pull-up or chin-up.
9. Be able to touch my toes.
10. Be able to do the splits (either left, right, or middle!).

Goal 3: Become a confident cook (and to celebrate, invite friends or family over for a six-course dinner party!).

1. Finish working through the “Be Our Guest” menu items.
2. Try one different type of food from each of my favorite cuisines.
3. Trial and error to find a “starter” course that I love and can make without a recipe.
4. Trial and error to find a “main” course that I love and can make without a recipe.
5. Trial and error to find a “dessert” course that I love and can make without a recipe.
6. Learn the basics of bartending.
7. Create my own signature cocktail.
8. Attempt a new recipe each week of 2021.
9. Try at least 5 recipes from Nadiya’s cookbook.
10. Invite friends or family over for a six-course meal that I make.

WHEW. Okay. I think that’s it.

It’s funny because if you could look through all the goals and resolutions I’ve ever made – scribbled in notebooks, taped to walls, saved onto Google Docs – you’d notice that these three have always been the theme.

This may be Too Much, but I like the fun of setting my goals high. Let me know if you notice a pattern in your resolutions or goal-setting! What’s something you want to accomplish by X age?

Okay, off to play around on Duolingo! Wish me luck! 🤞