my 10 year plan
Posted by deepali on April 10, 2008
Apparently, you are supposed to have plans in life. I have dreams and hopes, of course, but I fall short of an actual plan beyond the next month or so. But there have been certain life changes recently that have made me stop and take stock of what is going on in my life. The most obvious is a growing sense of my own mortality. I am 30, not old by any means, but none of us is getting any younger. There are things I’d like to accomplish in life, and there will come a time (sooner than I’d like) when some of of those things will just not be possible. So here’ my dream list of things to do by the age of 40:
1. Hike Mt. Kilimanjaro. The way the world is going, the snows of Kili won’t last beyond a few more years. At that point, the passes will be unpassable. Right now, I’m eyeing 2010, and hoping we don’t accelerate global climate change.
2. Get a PhD. I will be done with my MPH this year. I’d like to work a bit, but then I’d like to go back to school for a PhD. I have my eye on a couple of places, but we will see how this pans out.
3. Get published. I’ve put this off long enough, but it’s about time I did some original research, and got that published. So far, it’s been mostly secondary research.
4. Take a crazy climbing trip. I don’t know where yet.
5. Get certified in yoga teacher training. I am debating doing this in the fall, but we will see.
6. Go to Mongolia on a Fulbright. This will happen next year, and I’m really quite excited. It will also help with #3 above.
7. Visit China (particularly the Great Wall). Ideally, I’ll be able to do this after Mongolia.
8. Take a ride on the Trans-Siberian Railway. I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a kid. A colleague’s daughter did it last year, so I will be talking to her about it. It just sounds magical.
9. Work at the Google Foundation. Larry Brilliant is, well, brilliant. I’m sure I would learn a lot there. 10 years from now, this is where I hope I will be.
I see there are noticeable omissions here, such as getting married or starting a family. Funny enough, I have no urgency in those areas. There’s plenty of time for that. 
What’s your 10 year plan?
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