El Futuro Uno in Steps to Change

Nerd Fitness (which is rather awesome, overall - worth checking out, in my opinion) did an entry recently on time traveling. No, not about how it will soon be possible (spoiler alert: it won't be), but about the difference between where you thought you would be now in ten years and where you actually ended up, and what advice you would give your self from ten years ago. You can read it here.

It's part of what has gotten me thinking about the road that I have traveled over the last ten years, and maybe more importantly, the roads that I haven't.

My twenties were a tumultuous time, something that I don't think is really unique. I moved around a lot (I'll hit 6 next month, including moving cities once). I went from a lowly sophomore in college (ish) to having graduated, twice, and having a Serious Job. I became a writer (though I've always been a storyteller), though unpublished. I've been in love, felt many ways that it can end, had people close to me die and many more kind of just fade away.

Also, I adopted two cats (this, I think, is a bigger deal for me than most people realize).

There has been a lot that I haven't done. Maybe it's to be expected; with so many changes, it's been hard to hold on to some of the things I've wanted to get done. It's half excuses, but there is a kernel of truth there, I think.

I want my next decade to go better. More specifically (because better is awfully vague), I want it to be more focused. These things that I've wanted to do, wanted to accomplish, I want to work with purpose on so that, at the end of my next decade I don't find myself surprised by all I haven't done.

I'll at least want to know that I'm not getting shit done :-P

To that end, over the next week or so, I'm going to be creating a list of specific things that I want to accomplish for the next ten years (obviously not inclusive). I'm not sure if I'll publicize it or not - I'm by default a private person, even here - but that way I'll be able to focus on a specific goal, and break down what I will need to do in order to get there.

How well will it work? I am not entirely sure, but I know that this laissez-faire approach that I have tried until now isn't working well. At the very least, if nothing changes for the better, I will have tried something different.

That, I think, is worth something.