This Guy Loves To Party

In August of 2008, I quit my job, got rid of all my stuff save some clothes and some electronics, and left the country indefinitely without really telling anyone in advance.

In case you’re curious, here’s why.

Why I Quit Real Life

I had goals and objectives in my life, but all of them had become secondary to working a job I didn’t really see myself continuing in the future.

One day in early 2008, I looked back on what I had accomplished in the past year.  What goals had I reached?  What had I done to improve myself?

And in those previous 12 months, the answer was: not much.

I half-assed everything I did, and as a result, I had nothing to show for it.  The only thing I really put myself into was my job, and I didn’t even care that much about it.

My fitness goals, my comedy goals, my hobbies — nothing I actually enjoyed got much attention.

It’s cliché at this point, but the final turning point was when I read Tim Ferriss’ Four Hour Work Week.  It planted the idea in my head that my goals and objectives were more worth pursuing than a job I didn’t care for.

In other words, I realized that I’m young enough that I can avoid “real life” responsibility for a bit while I pursue the things that make me a more interesting person.

My New Benchmark: The Yearly List

Like I said before, I was disappointed when I reflected on what I had accomplished in the last year only to find out it amounted to basically nothing.

So I have a new ritual now.

Every year, on August 1, I’m going to make a list of all the things I’ve accomplished in the last 12 months.

I want to be able to look at that list and feel satisfied that I’m finally accomplishing interesting, remarkable things.

I’m not going to punish myself if the list sucks.  I’m not going to reward myself if the list is great.  I’m just aiming to be satisfied with what I was able to accomplish in the last 12 months.

What’s on your list?

Here’s the part of the post where I get deep and thoughtful.

Think about what you’ve done in the last 12 months.  Have you accomplished anything meaningful to you?  Or have you just gotten by doing the same ol’ thing?

If you’re not satisfied with your 12 month list, then get started today on improving for next year’s review.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Mental Stuff.