Since I dislike setting unrealistic goals for the next year, I’ll set realistic goals for the rest of my life instead. My wife started this with her three goals, but I was quickly convinced it’s a great idea to define this kind of life goals. They are meant as reminders, as to not forget them in the daily work-life treadmill.
Control my Body
Through training in the Dojo, my outdoor adventures and lots of introspection, I want to explore the operating parameters of myself (also know as my body). Self-control and self-knowledge have always been important to me, but I can’t let up. Physical skills quickly fade away when they are not practiced. Improving control over my wandering mind as well as improving my movement intelligence will always be challenges that accompany me.
Understand the Forest
I enjoy being in the forests so immensely, I identify as a woodwalker. This enjoyment is also rooted in a basic understanding of the forest ecosystem and the relationships between different plants, animals and other life forms. My goal is to deepen this knowledge to a point where I know all the common or important actors in the ecosystem so well that I can truly feel at home in the forest, because I also understand how I can fit in for a while.
Know the Sky
From the forest, my gaze goes up into the stars. I’m deeply fascinated by the fact that we’re all made of stardust. Understanding our place in the cosmos means knowing what’s going on above and around our planet. While I managed to aggregate some basic celestial understanding, my goal is to keep up to date with this very current field of research in a way that allows me to grasp the enormity of what’s happening, which in turn will keep me humble.
Facilitate Growth
My relationships to other people take many different forms and purposes. I want them to have one thing in common: through association with me, I want people to grow, to become better people. That’s a tough one, because the action required of me is different for each person I interact with. I’m starting by growing myself, of course, but extending rapidly to my (future) children, friends, colleagues and many more. To grow others, that’s my highest goal—above the sky, even.