The Happiness Of Pursuit Part 7

Another way to consider a big goal is to start from the end point and plan backward. The end point is your final destination-whatever you're trying to accomplish or achieve. In my case the end point would be the final country, otherwise known as number 193. What had to happen before I arrived there? Depending on which geography system you learned in school, there are either five or six permanently inhabited continents (some geographers combine Europe and Asia, and only scientists and penguins call Antarctica home). I'd need to visit each country in all of them.

In addition to finding the time and sc.r.a.ping together the money, I foresaw a few other big challenges. Reflecting on these hurdles led me to set subgoals. A few examples: * Visit every country in Africa (the most challenging continent, containing more than 50 countries).

* Visit every country in Asia. (Many Asian countries are easy to get to, but not all.) * Visit every country in the South Pacific (also a challenge, since some islands are tiny and have very limited flight schedules).

* Visit countries such as Iraq, North Korea, Somalia, and others that were in the midst of conflict or closed to most visitors. (I labeled a few of these places "rogue states and other interesting locations.") * Visit all the "stans," including Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and five others. (The stans are beautiful, but getting permission to visit can sometimes be difficult.) Since it would be a ten-year journey, I couldn't stay excited on a daily basis by thinking about the finish line. That's when subgoals proved helpful. When I made it to East Timor, my final Asian country, I went on a long run and thought about all that had happened to get me there. A few years earlier, I'd never heard of East Timor. (And a few years before that, it didn't exist. Until the arrival of South Sudan in 2011, East Timor was the world's newest country.) Getting to the "stans" had been particularly difficult. I finally arrived in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow in the middle of winter. I was required to purchase a tour as part of my trip to Tajikistan, and my guides were waiting for me at the airport after a long and confusing customs interrogation. I'd arrived in the frigid capital city in February, so I dutifully bundled up and nodded appreciatively as the guides ferried me around to museums and state buildings.

When I left the country a few days later, this time returning home via Istanbul, I realized I had now completed a big and mysterious part of the world. This was it! Central Asia was now off the list.

Deductive Reasoning

You can apply the same "time and money" principle to many quests and projects. What will it take? What is required? The more specific you can be in your planning, even if you're making rough estimates, the easier it will be to get your head around the goal. What is the goal, really? What does success look like?

At the beginning of a quest, you should estimate the toll it will take. What will achieving your goal require?

GOAL:____________________________________.

TIME:____________________________________.

MONEY:___________________________________.

OTHER COSTS:______________________________.

UNKNOWN:________________________________.

While many quests are born out of spontaneity and a yearning for romance, a healthy dose of reasoning is needed if you hope to see your quest through.

Matt Krause had a dream like Nate's: to walk across Turkey. Matt planned his route far in advance. "I'll be walking 60 miles a week, for a total of 22 weeks," he wrote in a detailed planning spreadsheet. The spreadsheet included data on the elevation of each day's proposed walk, as well as the climate and average temperature for all the different areas he pa.s.sed through. Hard-core? Maybe. But Matt says that the granularity of the information helped him to understand what he was getting into. It also helped him demonstrate to curious people that he knew what he was doing.1 It wasn't just a pa.s.sing thought; it was a plan.

Scott Young, who taught himself the four-year MIT computer science curriculum in one year, didn't just jump into the project at first thought. "I spent nearly two months preparing the curriculum before starting my challenge," he told me, "including a one-week pilot study with a single cla.s.s."

The pilot study helped with a lot of things. First, it gave Scott confidence: He could do this! It would be tough, but it wouldn't be impossible. Second, it helped him think about how to structure the rest of the commitment. He learned which times of day he was most likely to study. He considered the rest of the curriculum and visualized which parts would be more challenging. By the end of the pilot study, he felt his head was in the game and that he was ready to strike out on the full, yearlong commitment.

You can apply the time and money principle to many different projects. Let's look at a couple more examples, focusing on an idea and the expected objections to it.

Quest: To walk the Camino de Santiago Since medieval times, pilgrims have embarked on an extended hike along the Camino de Santiago in Spain, also known as the Way of St. James. Most pilgrims walk at least a few miles a day, stopping at cheap hostels each night before continuing the journey early the next morning.

Time: Approximately seven weeks.

Cost: Variable, but can be done for as little as $20 per day.

Obstacle Number One: Uncertain about walking long distances. ("Can I really walk 503 miles?") Way Around It: Practice walking a few miles a day, and fit in one longer walk a week. Research and purchase walking shoes that provide good support.

Obstacle Number Two: Not sure how it works. ("How do I get to Spain? Do I do this on my own or with a group?") Way Around It: Read up. Gain confidence. Talk to someone else who has done it.

Quest: To learn a new language in a short period of time The semiprofessional language learners I talked to for this book each have different methods, but they all agree on the fundamentals: Anyone can learn new languages, and it doesn't take as long as most people expect.

Time: Six months (or whatever you decide).

Cost: Variable, but can be done very affordably and possibly even for free.

Obstacle Number One: Lack of confidence. ("I'm not good at speaking other languages.") Way Around It: Begin slowly. Ask for help. Accept that everyone starts as a beginner.

Obstacle Number Two: Uncertain how to proceed. ("Do I take a course? Get a tutor? Download some podcasts?") Way Around It: Attempt all of those things and see what works best for you. Just start!

Obstacle Number Three: Perception of not enough time. ("I'm too busy.") Way Around It: Incorporate it into your regular routine. Carry a stack of index cards with new vocabulary. Listen to music in the language you want to learn. Study in ten-minute breaks whenever you can make the time.

But What About Spontaneity?

One of my favorite poems is "Ithaca." Composed in 1911 by the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, its story is loosely based on Homer's Odyssey, but with principles for any traveler or sojourner. The thirty-six-line poem is full of lessons on choosing a purpose, proceeding with abandon, and ignoring critics. One of my favorite parts illuminates how to value both journey and destination: Always keep Ithaca on your mind.

To arrive there is your ultimate goal.

But do not hurry the voyage at all.

It is better to let it last for many years; and to anchor at the island when you are old, rich with all you have gained on the way, not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

If you're sailing to Ithaca, there will be plenty of time for spontaneity and surprise. The goal is your driver, that thing you propel yourself toward. It doesn't mean that you won't change course or do something fun and different along the way.

Yes, it's all about the journey and voyage, but having a destination in mind will help. Thinking logically about your goals and breaking down the obstacles is good for you. If you're going to run a race, you should plan. The more prepared you are, the more spontaneous you can be.

Annual Review

Every year since 2006, I've set aside an entire week in December to review the year that has almost ended and prepare for the next. More than anything else I do, this exercise helped to keep me on track with the round-the-world quest, as well as many other projects.

The review begins with a set of journaling exercises, focused on two questions: What went well this year?

What did not go well this year?

A core principle of the review is that we tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in a single day, but underestimate what can happen in a year. Even if it's been a tough year, I'm always surprised as I reflect on completed projects that were hatched six or nine months earlier. It's also good to pay attention to what didn't go well, since ideally you'd like to avoid some of those things the next year.

I jot down at least ten to twelve answers for each of the two questions, focusing on successes, struggles, and projects-whether completed, in progress, or stalled. This leads to the next, longer stage of the planning process where I look ahead to the forthcoming year, thinking about which projects I'd like to pursue and which actions I need to take to ensure their success.

I then set a number of goals based on specific categories. Your own categories may vary, but some of mine include: Writing Business Friends and Family Service Travel Spiritual Health Learning Financial (Earning) Financial (Giving) Financial (Saving) The review takes place over a week, while I'm not doing as much other work. Thinking through the categories one by one, I set an average of three to five measurable goals for each. A few examples include: * Maintain running fitness of fifteen to thirty miles per week, and run at least one half marathon * Tour to meet readers in at least twenty-five cities * Increase income by 20 percent or more (usually based on a specific project) * Read at least forty books * Publish at least one hundred blog posts Toward the end of the week, after I've set thirty to fifty goals across my various categories, I define the overall outcomes for the year ahead. One year from now, what do I want to have accomplished?

I usually write this statement as a short paragraph. Here's an example from a few years ago: Outcomes: At the end of 2009 I will have finished the ma.n.u.script for my first book and published 100 essays on the AONC [Art of Non-Conformity] blog. I will have visited 20 new countries, recovered from my running injury to complete a fourth marathon (or two half marathons), and built a new small business that supports my primary writing goals.

I also choose a word or overall theme for the year. Past years have been dubbed "The Year of Learning" (when I finished a graduate degree), "The Year of Convergence" (as I sought to tie together a number of unrelated projects), and "The Year of Scale and Reach" (where I began touring more extensively, hosting or speaking at seventy events with readers around the world).

Of course, you can adapt the above review for your own purposes. A good plan allows for plenty of spontaneity and room for change-but without a plan at all, it's difficult to work toward something significant over time. As several people in this book have argued, planning well and being specific with your intentions is a great help as you progress through your journey.2

Numbers Are Your Friends

A marathon is 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers. Before the race, you focus your training on the numbers: "This weekend I'm going to do eighteen," you might say, referring to the number of miles on your weekly long run. "During the week I'll be running three, six, four, and six."

At the end of the race, each mile matters. I didn't run my second marathon well, and by the time I reached mile 22 I didn't feel triumphant-I felt exhausted and I had a hard time finishing the final 4.2 miles. A couple of years later I ran a much slower pace in another marathon, but I felt much better at the end.

If you want to climb every mountain, you need to know how many there are. If you want to see every bird on earth (or at least as many as possible), you need to understand the taxonomy of birds.

Does it just become about ticking things off a list? Not really-or at least it shouldn't. But the list keeps you focused. A measurable goal is a good companion, and the numbers are your friends.

Alternative: Forget Planning, Just Start

While it's probably best to count the cost before undertaking a lifelong commitment, you can also end up mired in planning paralysis. If you're predisposed to overthink, the answer is simple: Just do it.

Tom Allen, the bike guy who left England for foreign lands, says that almost every day he hears from people who write in to ask how they can follow a similar pa.s.sion. For a long time he dutifully answered their questions, which were often about gear and packing. After a while, though, he realized that this wasn't the real problem. Asking "What gear do you use?" is the wrong question, he says. The better question is "What are you waiting for?"

He created a detailed handbook that answered all the technical questions, available for purchase on his website. But he's also quick to say that the technical problems can be solved along the way. His best advice has now been simplified: "Pick a departure date. Start saving. Get a bike, tent, and sleeping bag. And go."

Gabriel Wyner, an engineering student turned professional opera singer, succeeded in learning four languages by following a true immersion process. He started with a German language camp at Middlebury College in Vermont, which hosts a number of different summer programs. Immersion means nonstop immersion: All students sign a pledge to speak only the new language they are learning for the entire time they are there, including evenings and weekends. No exceptions!

Total immersion is awkward and frustrating at first ... but then it gets better. Gabriel started with "Hallo" and went from there. After a few days, the language learning affected his dream life. Every night he'd dream of the same interactions in his limited vocabulary: "Hi. My name is Gabriel. What's your name? I like pizza. Do you like pizza?" (They were pretty much the most boring dreams you could imagine, he says.) Over time, though, the immersion process worked its magic. Gabriel now speaks five languages comfortably and is embarking on his sixth. He also offers the same lesson as Tom and many others: Jump in with both feet. Stop making excuses.

After I'd visited more than sixty countries, I settled into a routine. It was a strange routine, perhaps, but there were repeating patterns and ongoing tasks. I'd prepare for a trip, often fighting a battle over visas and receiving my pa.s.sport back from the agency just before departure. The time it took to pack my bag grew shorter with each trip. I learned that I could wear the same clothes most places-and if I forgot something, I could probably find what I needed along the way.

Then I'd come home and prepare to travel again. More countries down, more countries to plan for a future trip. I remembered what Nate said about walking across America: All he had to do was get up every morning and walk. In my case, all I had to do was get myself to the Central African Republic.

Meanwhile, the struggles that Nate experienced on his walk across America were pretty much what he expected: loneliness, the fear of not having a place to sleep at night, and the physical challenge of wearing a backpack and walking all day.3 He kept going, though. Every day, he'd get up and walk. Something interesting would probably happen at some point during the day, but even if it didn't, he'd still get closer to the Pacific Ocean by putting one foot in front of the other. The trek took seven and a half months, but 3,200 miles after leaving his home in Maine, Nate arrived at the San Francis...o...b..y. The journey was over.

Remember Ask yourself what it will cost to follow your dream. Get specific. Be sure to clearly understand the time, money, and other costs before you begin.

Generate confidence by listing the questions that your project provokes, and also the objections that you'll want to deal with in advance.

Planning is good ... but if you spend all your time planning without making progress, try doing something instead.

1 Read more of Matt's story in chapter 15. To see his detailed spreadsheet, visit HeathenPilgrim.com/the-route.

2For an expanded version of this exercise with a free template for your own annual review, visit FindtheQuest.com.

3Nate is a soft-spoken, laid-back guy. When we followed up with him during fact-checking about the challenges he experienced, he mentioned he'd also been charged by a bear. "How could you leave that out earlier?" I asked. "Well, it just didn't seem like much of a challenge," he said.

Chapter 8.

Life Listing

We like lists because we don't want to die.

-UMBERTO ECO Lesson: WE'RE MOTIVATED BY PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENT. IT FEELS GOOD TO CHECK THINGS OFF.

In 2007, the film The Bucket List premiered, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. In the film, two old men with terminal diagnoses set off to fulfill a "bucket list"-the things one of the men hoped to do before dying. The film received mixed reviews but has had a pop-culture afterlife in at least one respect. The phrase "bucket list" was in use before the movie came out, but since then it's become much more common and known.

A number of websites cropped up, providing users with an opportunity to create their own list of "Things to Do Before You Die." A few years later, the "quantified self" movement attracted followers interested in doc.u.menting their lives to an extreme degree. I'm not very sophisticated in the life tracking or quantified self movements, but I've noticed that even the occasional use of it can be helpful. For example, I use an app on my phone to track my running, especially the longer runs that I do most Sunday mornings. On a recent eight-mile run, I noticed that my pace was consistently around 8:34 per mile. At the six-mile point, I decided it would be fun to aim for an average pace of 8:30 or less. Since I only had two miles left, this would require those final miles to be run much faster than the others. Alas, I slowed down and had to walk for part of the seventh mile, thus decreasing my average overall pace to 8:36. For the final mile, I faced an even greater challenge: To achieve the 8:30 goal, I'd need to run much faster than I had for the past hour.

I ended up meeting the goal and finishing with an average pace of 8:29. Due to the final-mile sprint, I was more tired than usual at the end, but I also experienced a sense of satisfaction. The point? Without the ability to track my pace and record it for all posterity (that is, posting it for the two friends who followed my running times through the same app), I wouldn't have had the goal of pushing myself at the end and thus getting a better workout.

Your basic life list-a term we'll use as a synonym for bucket list-isn't a bad start. But what if you could go further? What if you organized your life around a single, princ.i.p.al focus or aim?

You know how you meet people and they ask, "What do you do?" You can always say that you're a teacher or a student, an accountant or an artist, or whatever your vocation. But once you have a quest, you have another answer, too. Your ident.i.ty isn't tied to a job; your ident.i.ty is who you really are.

I'm trying to visit every country in the world.

I'm on a quest to publish one million processed photos.

I'm going to produce the largest symphony ever performed.