Nothing but the Fruit!

I have two quotes in life that I like to live by, "pain lasts a day, regret lasts a lifetime" and "You are nothing but the fruit". The first of the two quotes was my go to quote to mentally prepare my teammates and myself for big races. From a runner's perspective, there is nothing more frustrating than reflecting on a race and thinking about where you gave up or why you didn't push harder. I think we can all generally agree if you gave someone a split second decision to either run up a hill or down a hill, they are more apt to choose downhill. By mentally preparing myself to climb the mountain when I reached the "Y" in my path, I was more willing to embrace the pain during a race.

The second quote I found while reading this article http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/ by David Wong. This is one of my favorite quotes due to its applicability to everything in life and is one of the main reasons for starting and naming my blog. To summarize the article, I can say I'm an apple tree but until I actually start producing apples, people don’t see me as an apple tree. The same principle applies to life, I'm caring because I ask you how your day is going, I'm determined because I never skip leg day, I'm a cereal connoisseur because I eat 3 family sized boxes each week.

Ever since reading this article, I've sought out ways to continually bear my fruit. One way I like to subtly grow myself in a direction I want, is by creating a yearly bucket list on my birthday. I start by determining the core characteristics I hope to portray. In example, this year I'm focusing on learning, running/health, adventure, caring, and financial responsibility and then I take these core components to create my bucket list with tasks. That's my project management planning 101 coming out of me. How do you like them apples?

Bucket List- age 26

1. Start blog- Learning
2. Code a program- Learning
3. Research stocks and take some risks- Learning
4. Read at least 12 books- Learning
5. Make 12 new meals- Learning/Financially responsible
6. Save/invest 50% of income- financially responsible
7. Get a credit card- financially responsible
8. Qualify for Olympic Trials in the Marathon- running
9. Run a PR on the track- running
10. Run a new race- running/adventure
11. Get Passport- adventure
12. Eat at 12 new restaurants in Des Moines- Adventure
13. Go on a vacation someplace new- adventure
14. Create a big get together with friends- Vacation? Adventure/caring
15. Do something for mom and dad- caring
16. Buy a book for a different friend each month- caring
17. Do something for the siblings- caring
18. Volunteer for something- habitat for humanity? Volunteer for construction in trade of knowledge? Caring
19. Plus other top secret stuff I can't share with the world…