I found a new fun TV replacement: fora.tv. Here are just a few of the things I have watched recently on this site:- Speech by Coach K of the Duke Blue Devils (a fan since third grade when by brother started pulling for UNC) on team dynamics and how who we are comes before what we do. Standards...the way we live no matter whether we win or lose. A little inspiring.
- Steve Wozniak of Apple fame interviewed on creativity and the future of education. (He's the guy who figured out how to put color into a personal computer screen).
- Ted Leonsis on the business of happiness.
So there's a side recommendation for you. Much more brain stimulating than Human Target or CNN's "situation room" as far as I am concerned. But the business of happiness is the one that is spinning my hamster-driven brain more than the others. I don't want to summarize his talk for you. The only idea I want to life is his idea of a happiness list, a self-actualization list, or a "Things to Do Before I Die" list. His was made when he was 26 and just sold his company for 22 million dollars. He was sitting on a plane twenty thousand feet up with no landing gear preparing for a crash landing and realized he wasn't happy with his life.
I loved the idea. I don't have a 101 item list like he does yet, only sixty, but here are most of them:
- Stay faithful to Holly and my children
- Start a college scholarship fund for underprivileged Marion students
- Take each of my children on a world traveling trip
- Hike the John Muir Trail
- Write 10 books I believe will really help people
- Finish my PhD (almost there)
- Make a million dollar donation (a long ways away)
- Go to Maui 10 times with Holly (1 down)
- Get involved helping orphaned children (we hide them in the foster system)
- Preach 1000 different sermons (easy for a pastor, hard for a guest preacher)
- Hike the Maroon Bells 4-Pass loop trail again...it's jaw dropping.
- Fish the Gunnison river at paradise hole again...paradise hole is my name, you won't find it. But my friend and I caught a trout every fifteen minutes.
- Learn to scuba dive.
- Give each of my children a 2 million dollar retirement start-up fund (assuming 10% interest compounding yearly and a 70 year old retirement.) Don't get too impressed, I think it would only take $4000 or so each and 2 million won't buy too much then, it will be like 500k now.
- Give each of my grandchildren a three million dollar retirement start-up fund (assuming 10% interest compounding yearly and a 70 year old retirement.) Another $6000 or so each twenty years from now.
- Make $1000 a month online to help fund 14 and 15 ($600 a month so far, close to $700 for this month)
- This one's more personal and I don't want to share it. ;) (I deleted a few others outright...none of your business.)
- Deleted...personal
- Deleted...vulnerable
- Deleted...can I do it? Too risky to speak in public. ;)
- Become a consistent benefactor for the battling of sex slavery
- Be financially independent (or capable of it) by 50.
- Meet each of my great grandchildren (These are all "God willing" but it gives me something to pray for).
- Support and enable Holly’s career to its fullest
- Learn Latin (on the way)
- Take Holly somewhere warm every winter starting 2010-11. We're moving to Indiana after all and she loves the sun.
- Raise three generous Christian kids
- Hike the Knobstone
- Finish the Sheltowee trace trail (We only have a day or two left Adam!)
- Maintain a 34” or smaller waist. I pushed the boundary last year. I set this goal in Keith Drury's class when I was in college and it seemed easier then. :)
- Teach Dawson how to use a bat, chainsaw, ax, knife, compass, topo map, and fly rod (girls too if they want to).
- Teach my children how to drive a stick, change oil, and rotate their tires.
- Own a 1965 Shelby Cobra. Selfish me. They appreciate in value though as long as Dawson never wrecks it. (red, silver, or black)
- Teach my girls to dance...working on it.
- Here are...
- three..
- more very personal ones.
- Learn cappuccino art (silly)
- Run a business that makes something and sells it. In ministry there is a constant urge to actually create something tangible. I know its this-earthly, but I like that. A lot of this stuff helps me feel that all of my ministry goals that will happen more naturally (mentor 1000 preachers for example) are matched by more earthy goals I can touch.
- Teach a travel course to Italy (preaching, art, and creativity).
- Teach a course on itinerant preaching ministry (could go with 36 if its on the Franciscans)
- Take each of my kids on a hiking trip (if interested)
- Instill the love of learning in my children. I want them addicted to learning.
- Take a family read-cation
- Dance with Holly on a beach at sunset.
- Hear “Welcome to the Company of Scholars” in person at my hooding (Doctorate)
- See Holly get her masters
- Become a full professor
- Another personal one
- Use renewable energy sources to run a home’s heating and cooling completely
- Help Holly's "Before I Die" list happen (if she writes one)
- Help each of my kids to make a list like this.
- Help each of my grandkids to make a list like this.
- Train preachers and those who will train preachers the rest of my life (even if I retire)
- Mentor 1000 preachers
- Build a successful membership website (30k + per year) or a successful limited email subscription (i.e. Six month email...paid… 30k + per year.
The last few (57-61) were more personal as well, but there it is. I like the idea. Inspiring. Motivating. And it makes me really ask myself purpose, meaning, and calling questions as well as personal happiness questions.
So what would go on your "Things to Do Before I Die" list?
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment