Since I'm nearing one of these landmark events (Hooray for July 27!) it is time to consider my list. I think my list mainly includes travel and skills improvements. Travel list includes France, Norway, Italy, China, India, Belize….you get the picture. Skills improvements: I would like to learn more about photography, improve my Spanish, try to learn another language like Chinese or French, and maybe throw in some broader cooking knowledge. I know my PB&J skills are top-notch, but beyond that I probably could do with some instruction.
The thing I’m more interested at this point is my other list, the one of “Things that I’ve already experienced”. This list is longer than I thought it would be – but I think that most people would have the same realization when they go through their own list. Most of us have accomplished more than we think we have – we just don’t look back that often. My list includes graduating college, actually getting a job and holding it for 7yrs, getting married, buying a house, selling a house, buying another house, traveling with family (including hiking 14,000 ft mountains, exploring Chile, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Luxumbourg, New Zealand and Australia), living outside of the US (including driving on the left side of the road), completing 4 marathons with my wife, completing an Ironman triathlon, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and even riding an elephant. Heck, that list is ridiculous and I’ve left things off the list like all the states visited in the US, the number of car accidents, all the shorter running events completed, the various injuries and surgeries, number of friends I’ve lost touch with, and the family funerals attended.
In the day and age of digital everything and having the world at your fingertips, understanding your own life story is an important. It keeps you grounded but also highlights why you are special. Unless you and your twin have done EVERYTHING together (doubt it) your experience list is completely unique. Sure its intertwined with others as Tim mentioned, but you can’t just see yourself as an insignificant piece of a massive puzzle. So go out and make your future list to keep building your individual experiences and links with the rest of the world – as your history list gets longer, the world gets smaller but the future list continues to expand!
The thing I’m more interested at this point is my other list, the one of “Things that I’ve already experienced”. This list is longer than I thought it would be – but I think that most people would have the same realization when they go through their own list. Most of us have accomplished more than we think we have – we just don’t look back that often. My list includes graduating college, actually getting a job and holding it for 7yrs, getting married, buying a house, selling a house, buying another house, traveling with family (including hiking 14,000 ft mountains, exploring Chile, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Luxumbourg, New Zealand and Australia), living outside of the US (including driving on the left side of the road), completing 4 marathons with my wife, completing an Ironman triathlon, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and even riding an elephant. Heck, that list is ridiculous and I’ve left things off the list like all the states visited in the US, the number of car accidents, all the shorter running events completed, the various injuries and surgeries, number of friends I’ve lost touch with, and the family funerals attended.
In the day and age of digital everything and having the world at your fingertips, understanding your own life story is an important. It keeps you grounded but also highlights why you are special. Unless you and your twin have done EVERYTHING together (doubt it) your experience list is completely unique. Sure its intertwined with others as Tim mentioned, but you can’t just see yourself as an insignificant piece of a massive puzzle. So go out and make your future list to keep building your individual experiences and links with the rest of the world – as your history list gets longer, the world gets smaller but the future list continues to expand!
