Lee Nau

I’ve spent a long time going along with whatever was in front of my face, either idling time when I had it to idle and putting out the fire closest to me when I didn’t have idle time. I haven’t really nailed down any long-term goals, except in a very small number of areas. Without setting goals, the only things you can do are idle or put out the closest brush fire.

So, let’s try a five-year plan.

Personal Goals.

1. Save $100,000.
2. Pay off my student loans completely.
3. Get into phenomenal physical shape.
4. Reduce my personal property by 80%.
5. Purchase better car and donate current one.
6. Acquire a place of my own.

Educational Goals.

1. Learn to play my acoustic guitar.
2. Formulate a plan for a college degree.
3. Become fluent in at least half of these languages.
4. Learn to sail.
5. Write more effectively.
6. Take an acting class.

Technical Goals.

1. Learn Ruby on Rails.
2. Gain fluency in object-oriented design.
3. Enhance 50 Words functionality.
4. Become more of an AJAX expert.
5. Study information architecture.
6. Build nifty new web projects.

Artistic Goals.

1. Write a novel.
2. Attend comedy school.
3. Take a course on art history.
4. Learn photography.
5. Be able to perform more than 50 jazz songs.
6. Study ballroom dancing.

Adventure Goals.

1. Sail the Aegean.
2. Backpack across Europe, from Lisbon to Berlin to Istanbul.
3. Kayak the San Juan / Gulf Islands.
4. Take a road trip across the US and Canada.
5. Hike to Macchu Pichu.
6. Climb Mt. Fuji.

Travel Goals.

1. Visit Paris.
2. Explore Southeastern Australia.
3. Join a samba parade in Rio de Janeiro.
4. Marvel at the ruins of Ancient Greece.
5. Visit the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.
6. Wander around Barcelona.

This is a decent start. What’s your 5 year plan?

I’m planning on travelling very soon. It’s been a long time since I have left the United States. So, in order to prepare myself for my future travels, I am making a list of the languages I either need to brush up or learn, so that my travel experience can go as smoothly as possible. I can’t expect everyone to be able to speak to me in English, just because I carry a US Passport.

1. French – The language of France, Monaco, Quebec, Switzerland, part of Belgium, Luxembourg, various former colonies in Africa and the Caribbean.
2. Spanish – The language of all of Latin America except Brazil, as well as Spain and Andorra.
3. German – The language of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, as well as a well-studied language in other countries nearby.
4. Arabic – The lingua franca of all of North Africa, the Middle East, and Muslim countries everywhere.
5. Mandarin – The most-spoken language in the world, useful in China and in nearby countries.
6. Portuguese – The language of Portugal, Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique, as well as various former colonies.
7. Russian – The language of Russia and a second language in many places formerly behind the Iron Curtain.
8. Italian – The language of Italy, San Marino, and Switzerland.
9. Greek – The language of Greece and Cyprus.

Fortunately, I have books and I have signed up for an account on Mango, which includes all of these languages and more.