2017 Goals, Projects, Challenges, and Zuckerberg…

A note on my iPhone

I set almost the same goals every year. Basically they have to do with journal writing, scripture study, prayer, and exercise. At this point they’re not really goals or New Year’s resolutions. They’re just reminders of things I’m already planning on doing. And that’s kind of lame but I get stuff done every year so I guess that’s good…

A few weeks ago I read about Mark Zuckerberg’s report on his “Zuckerberg Challenge” for 2016… For some reason it really caught my attention. Every year for the past few years (I don’t know how long actually) Zuckerberg decides to work on a “project” or “challenge” for the year and he discusses it at the start of the year on, well, Facebook, of course…I’m quite excited to read about his 2017 goal, which he hasn’t announced as of this writing.

Here are the Zuckerberg challanges I’ve read about…If you are interested in reading more about any of these challenges, you’ll have to look them up yourself..they’re easy to find:

• 2009: Wear a tie to work every day.
• 2010: Learn Mandarin.
• 2011: Only eat animals he kills himself.
• 2012: Code every day.
• 2013: Meet a new person outside of Facebook every day.
• 2014: Write one thoughtful thank-you note every day.
• 2015 : Read a book every 2 weeks.
• 2016: To build an AI for his house and run 365 miles

It really got me thinking about my goal-setting and I’ve decided that rather than set my same old New Year’s resolutions, I am going to work on projects during 2017. Here are the projects and here are the reasons behind them:

Run 100 miles (all outside) and do 10,000 push-ups during 2017

I decided on these two related goals mostly because I really don’t want to do either of these and I feel like it is important to prove to myself that I can do things I don’t want to do. I already lift weights three times a week and do a little cardio each time, but I think it is important to do a little more. I don’t like running and I don’t like pushups. I know 100 miles over the course of 365 days is no big deal for most runners (Janese does that in a month or less), but last year I probably ran 11 miles or 15 or maybe 17 or something. So this will be good to work on. And I’ll need to average 192.307692308 pushups a week to reach my goal of 10,000. Again, not a big deal, but I’m already lifting three times a week so this will be on top of that. This will also help fill in on the days I don’t get to lift.

Read 6 books that are out of my interest circle during 2017

I don’t know how to explain how I’ll pick the 6 books. These will just be 6 books that I would not normally read. And, on top of these six, I’ll still be reading all of the books I will normally read, plus scripture study. I have a book a friend recommended which I initially had zero interest in. But after reading the front flap I decided to give it a try. I read about 30 pages and then got caught up in other books that are more my style. So I’m going to start with that book and then order five more books over the course of 2017 that are not in my normal interest circle.

Create a $500 local scholarship or donation to a university or trade school during 2017

I think attending college or a trade school is a big deal. It is also expensive. We’re not rich, but I am able to do a lot of photography each year for which I’m very grateful. I don’t know how to start a scholarship or how to go about making a donation, but I’ll figure all of that out and hopefully ease the burden by a little bit for a student somewhere. Details to come…as soon as I figure out any of the details…$500 is the goal, but that may change depending on what I learn during this process.

Complete questions from my childhood book during 2017

I started working on a project in 2011 where I answer 365 questions about my childhood. I had planned on printing them up for our children. Even though I work on it here and there, I’m only on about question 200 or so. So I plan on completing this project and getting the book ready for print before 2017 is over. I may get it printed or not this year, but I will have it written, edited, and formatted for print by the end of the year. Then I’ll make decisions about where to print and will print 10 copies so my children can each have one and I’ll have a few extra for when they lose them…

Why did I tell you?

I don’t really know. I don’t expect you to join with me on any of these (unless you want to help with the scholarship and make it larger than $500), and I promise not to constantly post about my projects. I think sharing it with others makes me feel a little more accountable even though I don’t really need anyone to specifically check in on me. And maybe it’ll get you thinking about your goals, projects, 2017 challenges, or whatever…

#2017MickelsonChallenge

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