30 Out Of 30 – list announcement.

In October 2014 I was sat in a bar in Madrid airport with my new friend Sam when he asked me for help in putting together his list of the 30 things he wanted to do before he turned 30. He was weeks away from turning 29 and so had to consider what it would possible to do. We worked out he had to complete two and a half items from his list each month to make it through before he turned 30. That was if he didn’t purposely choose things he had already done. I realised if I were to put together a similar list I would have to do it sooner rather than later.

When I got home from one of the most important trips of my life (so far) I started work on constructing a blog to which friends and family could help me put together the list of things to do before I turned 30. I called this blog 30 Out Of 30 which makes sense as becoming the title of the documentary I intend on putting together for it. The hope being, by the time I hit 30 I would indeed have completed 30 out of the 30 things I had planned.
I was however careful to set some rules in place. I wasn’t going to let everyone else have the final decision on what I was going to do. I thought it would assist to have their input but not allow them to have the final say. People could make suggestions but the ultimate list would be my own. It wasn’t to be what everyone had to do before they turned 30 but solely for me. It had to be personable. It had to be achievable. I also wanted variety. There was no point in saying I was going to travel to all seven continents because there is no way I would be able to afford it. That’s a bucket list item. With my intention of living to a ripe old age there is plenty of room to travel further than the places I have listed.
I want to learn things. I want to see things. I want to improve and become better. That’s what I am aiming for with this list.

Here is the list. I’ll update it with completion dates as I work my way through and in all likelihood will need your help.

1. Write a screenplay.
2. Record an album.
3. Run a marathon.
4. Take a photo of myself every day for a year.
5. Write a letter to myself at the age of 60.
6. Explore different religions.
7. Fire a gun.
8. Shave my head.
9. Appear in a film or on TV.
10. Gamble in Las Vegas.
11. Ride a horse.
12. Read War & Peace.
13. Write an autobiography.
14. Research my family genealogy.
15. Make a Baked Alaska.
16. Volunteer.
17. Ride a motorbike.
18. Take a train across India.
19. Watch the sunset behind the Grand Canyon.
20. Camp out under the stars.
21. Go on a cross-country road trip.
22. See the Northern Lights.
23. Learn piano (and be able to play Lou Reed’s Perfect Day).
24. Climb a mountain.
25. Go surfing.
26. Try hang-gliding.
27. Play Cluedo.
28. Drink a Vodka Martini in a posh bar.
29. Go to a drive in movie.
30. Learn conversational Spanish.