7 goals for my 37th year

I've been thinking about doing something like this for a couple of months now, but when I first thought about it it was going to be "37 goals for my 37th year." I've come up with some ambitious plans before, but it is way too taxing on my brain to think up 37 goals at one time or even over a couple of weeks, so I've shortened it to 7 goals. I'm going to try to make these all unique (meaning not repeats of my 2009 goals) unless I have already determined that achieving one of my 2009 goals by the end of the year is not feasible.

7 Goals for My 37th Year

1. Goal: Save up $10k for my emergency fund (repeat of 2k9 goal that I have no chance of achieving this year). Stretch: $15k in total savings and investments with more thorough budgeting for vacations, health expenses, etc.

2. Goal: Do some volunteer work. Stretch: N/A I don't think there's anything to stretch in this case. If I volunteer for something, then I succeed in so many different ways. If I don't, I fail. I'm thinking about what I'd like to volunteer for, and right now I'm leaning toward finding an adult literacy program like Literacy Council of Seattle or Literacy Source. I love reading, and I think I'd like helping other people love it too. I'm just going to say right out that of the seven goals this one is my favorite and the one I'm most excited about.

3. Goal: Start writing. I've been saying for almost 20 years that I want to write something, that I want to write a novel. I don't really know if I've got a whole novel in me yet, but if I ever want to get there, then I've got to start something. NaNoWriMo might be a good place to start.

4. Goal: Do two destination runs. By this I mean that I actually have to travel someplace where coming back after might be inconvenient. This will generally involve a plane. I don't think this would be worth it for anything less than a half marathon, so I'll look for one of those. Stretch: I want to go to a foreign country. Actually, I'm scheduled to visit a few of them in July on a cruise to the Mediterranean. Perhaps I should consider doing a destination run at one of our stops. Would it count if I just ran alone, or with Lisa, in the foreign country? Am I set on it being an organized race? These are things to ponder.

5. Goal: Lift weights twice a week. I've done the majority of the weight loss that I needed to get a handle on this year. I've lost around 30 pounds since 1/2/09. Now it's time to start tightening and toning some things up. My arms look like spaghetti noodles. I assume my legs look awesome thanks to all the running, but I really don't know. Stretch: I also want to get back into martial arts. I have a place nearby that I've got my eye on. I miss my kung fu class and classmates from Texas.

6. Goal: Take some cooking classes. Lisa and I are going to do a cooking class as my birthday gift, but I might like to do a few more of them after that. I've always enjoyed cooking, maybe because it's one of those places where I can create something without being too creative. Recipes are pretty detailed instructions. I'd like to learn how to break free from strictly following a recipe. I have a few things I need to work on. I think when I cook the taste comes through, but my presentation sucks. I need help with some of that artistic flair that makes good tasting food be good looking as well.

7. Goal: Learn a new skill. This is pretty vague and unformed right now, but it's the best I've got. There are a lot of things I could point this one too. There are some sailing classes at Lake Washington that I could take. I could learn a new language or increase my knowledge of the one other language I kinda sorta know. I'm going to have to refine this one as the year progresses. I probably won't master whatever it ends up being, but I'll at least get a start.