Why I choose life-long goals instead of New Year’s resolutions

7 January 2010. Launch Magazine.

Now is the time for people to make resolutions for the New Year; they want to go to the gym more often, quit smoking, learn something new, get out of debt, get organized, etc.

For the majority of people, what they resolve to do doesn’t end up happening. Sure, they’ll go to the gym for the first few weeks of January, but then slowly taper off until they don’t go at all.

I can’t remember a time when I made New Year’s resolutions because I don’t think it’s a good idea to wait until a prescribed time every year to try and instigate change. I also think they’re lame because people make a huge production of them and then don’t do what they set out to. So, I do not make New Year’s resolutions. However, in 2009, I wrote a list of the 100 things I wanted to do before I die.

Last May, I was a leader for a high school leadership conference called Creating Leadership Among Youth (CLAY) where the keynote speaker was a group of guys called The Buried Life.

Their goal is to complete their list of 100 things they wanted to do before they die and help other people with their own lists along the way. Before CLAY started, they asked the staff and delegates to send them a few of the things we wanted to do before we die, and to start writing our own lists.

At the conference, they helped one of my co-staff cross something off his list, which I thought was really cool. About a month after the conference finished, I interviewed the guys for TalentEgg to get their take on why students and new grads should write a bucket list. Since then, they have completed more things on their list, and their show is about to premiere on MTV.

Although I am clearly not cool enough to get my own show on MTV, I did manage to cross off some of the things on my list.

#1 Figure out what is wrong with my wrist and get it fixed!

One of my wrist bones is deformed and as a result it doesn’t work properly. In order to manage the pain, I have to get cortisone shots. Admittedly that is not fixing the problem per se, but it is solving the issue.

#39 Go to a powwow

I went to two powwows this year. There was a Welcoming Powwow put on by the McMaster First Nation Student Association that I helped with, and I also went to the Canadian Aboriginal Festival, which is one of largest in Canada.

#64 Be an active member of a conservation group

A couple of years ago, I joined an organization called Frogwatch and now whenever I see a frog or toad, I submit my observations. This summer, I also saw many turtles, so I extended my involvement by joiningTurtle Tally. I hope to continue being involved with both groups as my exposure to wetlands permits.

#78 Have dinner at the Olive Garden

This one seems pretty weird, I realize. Olive Garden was my favourite restaurant and probably at least 10 years ago now, corporate office decided to get rid of chains in Ontario. This prevented me from eating at Olive Garden. But when I went to Calgary this summer, I was lucky enough to have dinner there.

I didn’t even realize I had crossed these items off until I took a look at my list a couple of hours ago. Although I haven’t completed them yet, I’ve also gotten closer to finishing numbers 42 (Visit every province and territory in Canada), 59 (Love my job) and 95 (Lose 30 pounds). Come this time 2011, I hope to have crossed off a few more things.

So, let me ask you: what do you want to do before you die?

Please share some of your items with other readers; we’d love to see them! Or, am I a cynic when it comes to New Year’s resolutions? Did you make some and stick by them?

What do you want to do before you die? Q&A with MTV’s The Buried Life

What do you want to do before you die? Q&A with MTV’s The Buried Life: June 3 2009.

We know about our past and our present, but have you ever seriously thought about what you want to do before you die?

I recently attended the Creating Leadership Amongst Youth (CLAY) conference at McMaster University as a group leader. Among the keynote speakers were four guys from Victoria, B.C., better known as The Buried Life, who are trying to complete a list of 100 things they want to do before they die.

For every item they cross off of their list, Jonnie, Ben, Duncan and Dave encourage and help others to complete a task on their own lists.

Before CLAY started, we were encouraged to send a few items from our own lists to The Buried Life. During their keynote, they talked about one of the goals of another leader, which was to plant a tree. So, the guys bought a tree and, after getting permission from McMaster, planted it on campus.

This is only one instance of how the guys have helped countless others since they started The Buried Life in 2006 and it’s certainly not the last, with another tour and an MTV show in the works for this year.

The guys from The Buried Life agreed to answer a few questions for me once the conference wrapped up.

L-R: Jonnie Penn, Ben Nemtin, Duncan Penn and Dave Lingwood

Q. Why do you believe a “Things to Do Before I Die” list would be advantageous to university/college students and recent graduates?

A. Thinking about death gives you to an enlightening glimpse into some very personal and very important issues. It lets you think about life as a finite resource - which makes it a thing worth celebrating - and gives you the advantage of prioritization: i.e. what’s most important to me in my life? It could be family, fortune, big crazy goals, modest local goals… anything. The point is, from there you can lay out your goals and dreams and ambitions and then go out and have some fun knowing that you have them organized in your back pocket. Some people don’t enjoy that sorta clarity til much later in life.

Q. What do you want to do now that some of you have graduated and the rest are still taking classes? Do you think it is possible for The Buried Life to become a full-time job?

A. #11 [graduate university] is still a few more steps from being crossed off…we’re taking our time to try to make the most of it (while we balance everything that’s going on with TBL). It could become a full time job down the road. Anything is possible, right?

Q. What do you think is essential for all post-secondary students to do while completing their education?

A. Have fun, work hard and question everything. Question what you’re doing now, what you want to do, what you’re asked to do, why you’re asked to do it - everything. The point of university is to evaluate society and improve on it. It’s a hell of an opportunity.

Q. When is your MTV program going to premiere? Is it going to be broadcast on Canadian and well as American and International Networks? If so, what do you think this will do for TBL and your message?

A. The short answer is: this fall, yup - all around the world and it’ll help get the philosophy in front of the people who could stand to benefit from it most. The goal from Day 1 has always been to spark conversation, especially among our friends and our generation. A lot of those people are watching MTV, so it’ll be cool to see how the message goes through.

It took about three weeks for me to finish my list of the 100 things I want to do before I die. It’s a lot more difficult than you’d think. I’m glad I finally finished, though, because not only do I have something to share with other CLAY attendees, but I have also set some goals for the next 40 years or so (hopefully a conservative estimate). I think everyone should have a list like this, so you can use it as a means to start planning the rest of your life.

What do you want to do before you die?