My wife, Shaina, attended Rachel Hollis (of The Hollis Company) Rise conference in January in Ft. Myers, FL.  She has been a fan of Rachel’s work for a few years now and managed to convince me to read two of her books, Girl, Wash your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing.  After completing her MBA in December, Shaina and her best friend wanted to go to Rise to get away, be part of a tribe, do some self-exploration, and get inspiration for their own new ventures in 2020.  How exciting! 

She had a blast, and she was so excited about coming back from your conference! Full of energy and a new lease on life, it was exactly what she was looking for.  One of the exercises that Rachel suggests in her books for goal setting is to imagine your life 10 years from now. Then write 10 aspects of that life. Those become your 10 dreams. You then pick 1 small habit you can do for 30 days toward one of those goals. This is her 10-10-1 formula for goal setting, and Shaina actually did her own exercise before the conference (read a brief explanation on success.com). Shaina came back with a Start Today journal to keep track of it all. Part of what makes the habits and the goals stick is writing them down, every day.  What are your 10 dreams? What is the one goal to help you reach that? What is one thing you can do today?  

A few months later, we agreed that I should try the exercise, and that we should look at each of our 10 dreams lists and see how close they were.  I suppose it was a bit of test of future compatibility, you know?.  Don’t worry, it turned out okay. We were not that far off from each other.  

I wanted to share my version of our combined list. We agreed on the basic tenant of each dream so that our 10 lists are roughly the same. I write an abbreviated version of this list down in my journal, every day.  

Imagine your life, 10 years from now. What are your 10 dreams for your family? 

1. We have great relationships with friends, including our kid’s friends and their families. I have lots of Dad friends that I fish and golf with regularly, including a mastermind group that I get together with at least once per year and do a weekend away.
2. I have a strong, individual relationship with each of my kids. We talk every day. I am proud of the young adults they have become and they seek my wisdom and counsel when they get stuck, yet are first willing to try and learn as they grow. 
3. Shaina is my best friend, we still date each other at least once per week, at a nice dinner out.  We also enjoy each other’s company as the kids go off and do things with their friends and keep our sexual life happy and healthy. 
4. I keep in relatively good shape and stay healthy. I have a regular yoga practice, I run 3 days a week and am part of a trail running group. I eat lots of veggies, fewer carbs, and some red meat, but do lots of plant-based foods. I manage stress by staying active and still try to not take work too seriously.
5. We have a loving family that enjoys spending time together, following the kids in the pursuit of their interests as they make their way in the world. We create our own adventures, memories, and traditions as a family unit. 
6. We travel A LOT.  We take the kids to a new country, and corner of the globe every year, and try to appreciate the culture (language, customs, and world views) each time. We also explore this amazing and beautiful country we live in, visiting all of our family friends along the way. 
7. We live in a good-sized house in this area, but with some land (1-2 extra bedrooms to accommodate friends and family). We have done lots of renovations to make it a dream home. We have a detached garage or pole barn for projects, toys, and maybe an entertainment loft.
8. We are financially secure, both now and for the future. We are both gainfully employed in our own careers so that either one of us could abandon that career and pursue an entrepreneurial idea with plenty of support from the other. We are far exceeding retirement goals and can help fund college for our kids.
9. I am a thought leader in the agile community. I write and speak profusely. I have written at least one book, I have an active blog and newsletter with 1,000 subscribers, and I am a recognized keynote speaker as part of a speaker’s bureau
10. I am an expert on AgileHR, L&D, and OD. I have done some graduate work in I/O psych and I am a Master Certified Coach (MCC). I consult in these spaces and I travel the world to see visionary examples of each.   

Wow, that’s a lot! And I only have 10 years, so I had better get to work. 

I hope to come back to this post in a few years and provide an update on progress and how it has changed the trajectory of our life. 

Until the Next Iteration . . . 

Jason