31 by 31 Results

I set 31 goals to accomplish by my 31st birthday. How'd I do? Not too good! I chose to leave these goals alone last January when I was introduced to Dave Ramsey and began following his plan for personal finance. Basically, most of my goals were replaced by my pursuit to become debt free. In the long run, I think it will be worth it.

Regardless, here's a breakdown of how each goal went:

1. Get my book, Hunters - Rising, published in print. Currently it's a free ebook available here - Didn't do this one, mostly because I'm playing around with some changes to the main character and haven't decided what to do with him.
2. ePublish another book - Didn't do this one
3. Enhance my book, Hunters - Rising. Still working on this. I have a map drawn up so I guess this goal was 50% finished...which is still an F
4. Donate to charity - I guess this depends on how you define "charity." Does offering people advice count? How's about gifts to people and friends? Or is it about donating money to a cause? When I wrote this goal I meant donating money to a cause, so in that sense I did not complete the goal.
5. Get involved with a group, whether it be online or in person - Did this one. I am a part of the BJJ Life blogging group.
6. Contribute to Wikipedia - Did not do this either. 
7. Adopt a tsunami siren - Didn't even look into it
8. Read “Aspects of a Novel” by E.M. Forster - did not read it, though I did read several other books
9. Create and print a business card for myself - Did not look into it
10. Teach somebody a skill - I've taught some people how to budget themselves, I gave a few swimming lessons, and I helped a friend build a resume.
11. Volunteer - Failed
12. Drink something from the top shelf - I had a shot of some fancy tequila 
13. Live each month on a budget - I budget myself every month and stick to it 
14. Read an author recommended book - Yes, I read the book Start by Jon Acuff, recommended by Dave Ramsey who is a New York Times best-selling author.
15. Read a book about somebody great - I've read several things about Dave Ramsey, the guy is pretty great!
16. Surf a wave - Nope, didn't try.
17. Mix a tropical fruit inspired cocktail - I'm pretty sure I did this one using some kind of guava juice but I don't remember exactly what the drink was
18. Win a medal in a jiu-jitsu competition - Nope, I didn't compete this past year
19. Set a personal record in this year's Great Aloha Run - Nope, I injured my ankle a few months before the race and wasn't able to train at all. Although I am shooting for a personal record this year.
20. Go star gazing, find the Southern Cross or some other constellation - Yep, did this one on Kauai where the sky is nice and dark
21. Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition by submission - Didn't compete...
22. Write for a magazine or newspaper - Still in the works...so another unaccomplished goal
23. Do an obstacle run (Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, or similar) for time - Did not do this
24. See a 20+ foot wave - I missed the big wave days at the beach. I did see a line of kids get mowed down by some 12-footers though, that was pretty funny.
25. Eat pancakes from Boots and Kimo - Check, I ate them and they are very much overrated.
26. Cook a seafood dish - I did not do this.
27. Read a book by William Faulkner - I was too busy reading other things, so no.
28. Read a book of poetry by Billy Collins - I read some of his work, it's really good even if you're not into poetry. He doesn't use overly artsy language, it's pretty easy to follow.
29. Decorate my place with at least 3 pieces of art - I have a photo of a Van Gogh, a map of Middle Earth, and a poster of a zombie riddled with bullet holes (it was a target from a gun range), a piece of Hawaiian art, and a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge decorating my place. 
30. Read a grammar handbook - Did not do these thing...can't ya tell?
31. Draft Hunters 2 - It is in the works