I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Think about the type of person you’d NEVER want to be 5 years from now. Write out your own personal recipe to prevent this from happening and commit to following it. “Thought is the seed of action.” –Harley Schreiber

Five years from now, I don’t want to be someone who has a lot of regrets for being afraid to try things. I don’t want to be stuck inside a cubicle staring at a computer screen thinking what the hell am I doing here? I want to be able to look back and say that I had the courage to start a project and see it through to its completion, to some good ending point.

While working on these projects (you’ve already heard that one of them is to write books), I want to keep my sanity by doing things like exercising, eating right, spending time with friends and family, traveling, etc. If these things aren’t part of the next five years, I would look back with some serious regrets.

A recipe for making this happen would include learning how to be more organized. I am not great at taking the time to write out the steps that it takes to reach my goals.

The recipe would also include a healthy dose of discipline to make me as productive as possible. It might even require me to set a regular 6am (or earlier) wake-up time, unless I decide that I’d be better off working through the night.

The recipe will require me to ask for help, for someone to collaborate on projects with me. It will require me to seek advice, something I prefer to not do.

Overall, the recipe doesn’t look too complicated, so I am optimistic that there are some good times ahead and not many regrets.