It’s one month until my birthday. As I head towards my 44th year on this planet I am conflicted. Having seen my skinny, fit husband survive a double heart bypass at just 42 years of age I understand life is precious. But it doesn’t mean I have to enjoy the wrinkles – and why didn’t anyone tell me eyelid droop was part of aging? I’m sure I didn’t know about that little gem.
When terms like “middle-aged” get bandied about I cringe, how did that happen? Middle-aged can’t apply to me. I’m not CWA vintage. Then you do the maths and you realise you may have actually crossed the middle point of life. I need to make it to 88 for this to be the mid-point, OK that might be possible, let’s not think about next year when 90 will be goal!
Having spent the best part of the last 15 years on the bottom of my to-do list I’ve made a decision – this year will be the year of me. I’m treating myself as if I was a work project. I’m setting the targets, creating a to-do list, developing a time-line and putting myself first (at least some of the time).
Project 44 will be about getting through my overcrowded wish in 12 months. By the time 45 rolls around, and I jump up a category on those survey forms where you have to tick an age range, I will have a long list of achievements.
No more gunna, one day, next time round … this is the year it all happens!
Create a blog – tick – getting people to read the blog – still working on it.
Lose 15 kilos – as it turns out Mel B and I are about the same weight (OK she had a baby about 8 weeks ago and my “baby” is about to turn 12 but let’s not get technical). Mel has signed on to Jenny Craig hoping to lose 15 kilos in 12 weeks. I mightn’t have the $250,000 sponsorship incentive ol’ Scary Spice is rumoured to have received to ditch the weight but I’ve publicly announced it in my blog – so to save face with my five subscribers I must do it!
Write a novel – they say the first challenge is getting started – so I’ve joined the National Novel Writing Month – 50,000 words in 30 days – watch me go!
Finish Shambles Manor – well at least oversee my husband as he finishes the stupid owner builder mess I signed us up for.
Go on some pretty bloody awesome holidays – at this stage no idea on how I will pay for said holidays but let’s not have details get in the way of the bigger picture.
Inspired by winning $6,000 worth of Bunnings’ vouchers in a paper towel competition and an I-Pad from the Hoopla website I am determined to get focused on entering competitions – five a day for a year. Let’s see what I can bring home in that time!
Get organised – sort through the myriad of boxes that remain unpacked from the last move – sift through the debris of life that has been in storage for four years and work out what I really need.
Right, that’s the starting list, more to be added as I go along.
44 – it’s gonna be a good, good year.
Go Girl! Great post! Ambitious but Inspiring!
I’m sure you WILL 🙂 I especially like the ‘awesome holidays’ idea – hopefully they are the “all included”- kind. (Unless you DO want to cook!)
(Better get myself organised-I have even less time left! 🙂
I hear you, I’m going to join you
Fantastic, at least I know I won’t be alone.
Just to keep us motivated I unpacked 2 boxes from the last move (2008) on the weekend. I can’t quite tick that one but it’s a start.
It’s a good start.
Great blog post! Very inspiring. Good luck 🙂
I love this post. I love your candid style of writing! well done! I look forward to catching up on your “project 44” list and completions! And you just reminded me of NaNoWriMo – maybe if I do that – I’ll get my sewing book written?!!! hmmmmm! Thanks for joining the BYW comment thread! – kg
Thanks Kerry – there’s still time to sign up for NaNoWriMo – I’m in denial about the fact that in three days time I have to start writing 2,000 words a day – but it’s on the blog so I’ve got to do it!
I wish you all the luck in the world! Thanks for sharing this with us, Janine. I really want to keep up with your 44 list! I think you’ll inspire me. I am so easily caught up in the moments (good, bad and trivial) that it seems I don’t get to many of the more “important” (but not urgent) things in my life. Blah.
Anyhow, I really like your blog! So glad I found it through BYW. You should have 6 followers now! 🙂
Thanks Heidi – I’m going to have to stick with it now – nothing like going public to make yourself stick to your goals.
What a fantastic list – your energy and ambition are quite inspiring. I’ve been wanting to make a list of my own – but ended up ironically adding “make list” to my to-do list. Looking forward to cheering you on!
Project 1210 – the numbers of days until I turned 40, well I turned 41 today and not certain anythiing was achieved in those 1210 days + the extra 365 I had so let’s start afresh with Project 1461. Now all I need to do is write the list to achieve before I’m 45.
Go write your lists girls.
Scratch that I’m making in 1463 because that was the number I guessed of days it should be when I was driving to work this morning.
I am back reading this thanks to your 7×7 link award post, and I’m wondering, how’s the 5 a day competition-entering going? I may also have to try to pick up the word “bloody”.
Now I’ve taught a nice young lady to swear great! I’m entering at least a couple each day but somehow have to figure a way to structure my time between blogging and entering competitions.