Thirty-One
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Today, I’m 31 years old. Crazy.
That seems like such an old age. I remember thinking when I was 22 that I better get everything done by the time I’m 30 since my career or whatever will be over then. Hah, such a kid.
Last year, I wrote this:
I’d rather spend my time with my family or doing things outside or learning new things than making software every waking moment…
I’m really looking forward to 30. I think 2019, 2020, and beyond are going to be excellent—not from how much I’m making things you might care about, but for everything else.
I think I did a pretty good job of this last year. I think it had some of the highest highs and lowest lows of any year, but overall it was pretty great. I’m just trying to focus on the highs. No point in focusing on the negatives.
I spent a lot of time hiking, scuba diving, taking photos, and building things. In December, I bought a house in San Francisco. Working on renovations, home automation, and other house things is some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I really like using my creativity on things other than software.
That said, this coming Tuesday I start a new job at GitHub. I’m really excited about it! I think there will be a lot more making than my previous job. All I want to do is make things. Super excited to have more of an opportunity to do this with software again.
Goals
I really like goals. When I was very young, my mom encouraged me to set goals.
I remember one of the first goals I set was buying this $20 creepy crawly machine. It had these little metal plates (like 3” × 5” or something), you’d squirt little bottles of liquid in them, put them in the machine (that was basically just a box with a light bulb in it), and then you get’s these flexible, rubbery bug things out. So silly.
I’m not sure why ~8 year old me really wanted this. Anyway, I saved up and got it and it was so satisfying. I don’t remember playing with it that much. I had a good time putting it together and making the little things but didn’t really want to play with them after. Hah.
Anyway, let’s set some goals for this year.
Go backpacking a bunch. I did some last year and it was great. I hope to do a lot more while I’m 31. Exercise and nature. Fantastic.
Go diving at least a few times. I only did a few trips last year compared to previous years. I’d really like to keep it up and go more often.
Make some videos. I used to vlog a lot. I was thinking about making a bunch of videos of house projects or other things. I’d like to start making some. I just need to slow down and do it.
Learn new things. I really like learning. Lately, I’ve been learning a lot about house stuff. I’d love to keep learning in that area but also more about design, working with people, and whatever else to help me be better.
Lose some weight. I lost 20lbs+ last year and gained most of it back. I’d really like to figure out some sort of sustainable way to get to my target weight. I have some ideas I’m excited about.
I have a few more personal goals, but this is a good list for now.
Let’s stay positive out there.