This is Personal (Goals)
It's good to have goals. Both short-terms ones, and long-term ones. Like everyone else, I have plenty, but I felt like I was never making progress with any of them. Reading a few articles lately, I found out that people who write down specific goals for their future are far more likely to be successful at accomplishing those goals. So I made a goal: to write down a list of goals. One night, at around 1 am, I picked up my laptop and just started typing. I wrote them as the popped into my head, and as if I was talking to someone else. I feel like I always have advice for others, but I rarely listen to myself. When I finished, I realized that I had way more goals than I expected. I counted them, and I had exactly 25. Perfect. I am turning 25 in March (queue the quarter-life crisis) and "25 goals for turning 25 (plus a few months)" rolls off the tongue so well. Some are very specific, while others are pretty vague and will take much longer than one year. I'm not saying I will accomplish them all, but damn if I won't try as hard as I possibly can. Below is my list of 25 goals I have for the next 15 months. Hold me to them!
25 goals for turning 25
- First and foremost, be fucking HAPPY
- Just smile more. Your resting/thinking/pissed face scares people.
- Don't be afraid of new opportunities. You never know what they will lead to.
- Go to a major design conference. I'm sure there is one you can afford.
- Use your "Savings" account to actually SAVE. $5,000 balance. Minimum.
- Reduce your credit card debt by 50%. You'll be much happier.
- Leave the country. For at least a week. No exceptions.
- Take a road trip. 1000 miles minimum. No exceptions.
- Take a train ride to a city you haven't been to. Who cares if it sucks.
- Sell your work! You can make money. Web store.
- Create promotional work, and actually PROMOTE yourself.
- Have work featured in an art gallery.
- Get back into printmaking. Classes. Experiments. Something. Just print shit.
- Go to Va/NC at least 3 times.
- Volunteer somewhere. Regularly.
- Train for a marathon. Or a half one. Don't kill yourself. It will be fun to say you did it.
- Call your family more. They need to hear your voice. You need to hear theirs.
- Spend less time texting, more time talking. You should probably Skype more.
- Make new friends, and be better to the ones you already have.
- Reconnect with old friends. There's no reason you haven't talked to them in years.
- Write more letters. They are more meaningful.
- Network. Professionally. You meet awesome people in bars all the time.
- Treat yourself to something you want. Last year was rough. You deserve it.
- Design things for yourself sometimes. Those designs are always the best.
- Most importantly, BE FUCKING HAPPY.