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).
- Complete Duolingo
- Write a short story entirely in Spanish.
- Read an old favorite series in Spanish.
- Read a new novel or series in Spanish.
- Watch my favorite movie in Spanish.
- Watch a telenovela from start to finish.
- Reach out to (and watch!) some Spanish-speaking authortubers or booktubers.
- Make a video where I speak entirely in Spanish (and translate my own subtitles!).
- Translate one of my own published works into Spanish.
- 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.)
- Complete Couch to 5K (….again).
- Complete Couch to 10K.
- Be able to hold a (freestanding) handstand for 20 seconds.
- Run a 5K under 30 minutes.
- Run a 10K under 1 hour.
- Easily complete 10 push-ups without stopping.
- Successfully run an entire half-marathon (without stopping to walk).
- Complete 1 unassisted pull-up or chin-up.
- Be able to touch my toes.
- 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!).
- Finish working through the “Be Our Guest” menu items.
- Try one different type of food from each of my favorite cuisines.
- Trial and error to find a “starter” course that I love and can make without a recipe.
- Trial and error to find a “main” course that I love and can make without a recipe.
- Trial and error to find a “dessert” course that I love and can make without a recipe.
- Learn the basics of bartending.
- Create my own signature cocktail.
- Attempt a new recipe each week of 2021.
- Try at least 5 recipes from Nadiya’s cookbook.
- 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! 🤞