Following my Showdown post about how I did in my 27 goals I made by the time I turned 27, I wanted to share my eight (yes, that’s right, just eight!) goals I want to complete by my 28^th birthday (May 2019).

I decided to do an 8 by 28 because I learned from the past year that 27 goals is really quite a lot. Not only did I have to think of 27 challenging things, but I didn’t attempt a handful of them, and some of them were probably not that difficult. That said, my eight goals this year are quite challenging, and I am really excited to share them!

🧗🏻‍♀️ 1. Rock climb a level 23 wall.

Since I started more actively (indoor) rock climbing last year, I have been more keen to improve my skills and get stronger. There is a climbing gym about fifteen minutes from where I live, which is where I have been trying to visit at least once a month, starting this year.

Rock climbing routes can have different gradings depending on what grading system is used, which can vary depending on where you are in the world. In Australia we use the Ewbank system, which is graded from 1–35. Apparently a level 1 is supposed to be one you can walk up. I don’t think I have seen anything lower than a 10. There is a children’s climbing area at my local climbing gym which might have those lower gradings but I haven’t ever checked it out.

Needless to say, when I first tried rock climbing as an adult (about eighteen months ago), I did a level 12 and found that a little bit difficult. Now, I can confidently complete 16s and 17s. The highest level I have attempted is 19. I have completed two walls at level 19, but with quite a lot of struggle. It has been quite a few months since I have attempted that. My current strategy is to try and master and get used to a level before progressing to a more difficult one.

Completing this goal requires simply getting to the top of the wall and being able to touch the highest hold on the wall. If I accidentally touch incorrect holds, that’s fine, as long as I don’t use them.

I’ve observed and seen a level 22, and a level 25, and… yeah, this is going to be a tough one. I’ve got minor concerns around my bodybuilding at the gym contributing negatively to my rock climbing ability – such as building too much muscle and being unable to pull my body weight… but I’m still welcoming this challenge and I am keen.

💻 2. Finish my wardrobe app.

I started working on a wardrobe app a few months ago. The purpose of the app is to keep an inventory of the clothes I own, with metadata such as colour, style, category, and so on. This began as an exercise for myself to learn more about JavaScript and React, after avoiding JavaScript like the plague for many years of my career as a front-end developer.

The project has been in limbo for a couple of months, since I prioritised this new blog design. I have put my progress on GitHub (reluctantly – I hate showing my works-in-progress online), as well as a description of what the app is. I also need to make clear that it’s for my personal use, so don’t get too excited that I am doing some groundbreaking thing.

Completing this goal involves having it in a state where I can display/publish it online, complete with all data, and enough filters and search functionality to make it browsable.

👗 3. Buy no more than 15 items of clothing/shoes.

LOL. 🤣 Need I say more?

I don’t even want to know how much money I spent this past year on clothes. I also don’t know why I made this goal 15 and not something stupidly less. Basically, I need to stop buying clothes. I have an addiction I need to kill. My friend Craig said to me that it’s unusual that I’m a minimalist but I love fashion. It’s like the worst contradiction. Well, actually, it is. Kind of.

This goal is not quite the same as the goal I made to downsize my wardrobe to less items. I wanted to tackle the real issue, which is that I keep buying clothes and then getting rid of clothes. While I have the same amount of clothes, or less, I’m still spending and potentially wasting money. So I’ve got to stop.

I chose 15 as opposed to something like 10 or 12 because I envisage that one day I might need to buy something, like a pair of shoes, and I wanted this number to include any replacements for garments.

I’ve allowed myself to buy and return (and thus get a refund on) items. I can still try on clothes and “shop”. But I will be thinking more seriously and deeply about any purchases I make. The 15 does not include accessories such as jewellery, but outside of this goal, I am also controlling my spending in those areas.

Where am I at now? I have a sweater and a nice versatile summer top with the tags still attached (I made the purchase on my birthday), they are sitting at home while I think about them. They will count towards the 15 items if I choose to keep them. I’ve also been looking for new jeans to replace my current ones, which I have had for two years and the distressing has basically turned into holes.

🏋🏻‍♀️ 4. Bench press 45 kilograms and deadlift 100 kilograms.

I want to get stronger. 💪 I was originally going to make this two separate goals but I thought it was “cheating” a little bit to have quite a handful of strength-related or fitness-related goals. So we’ve got a two-in-one!

I only started seriously bench pressing this year. I had tried it before but I did not have the proper form and technique. I can currently bench press 32.5kg for about 8–12 reps, but I am going to drop that weight this week to correct my form.

The most weight I have deadlifted is 70kg. However, after injuring my leg and being out of commission for a month, I have found myself back at 40–50kg, and need to slowly build myself back up.

I currently weigh 50 kilograms. I had originally wanted to be able to bench press my bodyweight, but considering I’m still sort of new to this, I didn’t want to be too ambitious when I had no idea of progress. With these goals, I am aiming to be able to press and lift the weight for 8–12 reps.

💰 5. Save $15,000.

Pretty much what it says on the tin. 🙂 I didn’t calculate how much I saved last year exactly, but it certainly was not a lot. It was basically as if I spent as much as I’d saved, because my bank account balance had barely changed.

We’re going on two holidays before I turn 28 (America next month and Europe in April/May next year), so needless to say, I think am kind of screwed. 😂

The goal is to have my bank account balance on my 27^th birthday to be increased by $15,000 by the time it is my 28^th birthday. Currently, I have saved $400.

📚 6. Read 20 books.

I enjoyed reading a few (six) non-fiction books this past year. I didn’t get to read more than one fiction book. I like reading and I do have a list of books to read, but I don’t read regularly. I always keep putting it off. I want to read a bit more regularly so that when a book recommendation comes up, I don’t just put it in my list and go, “ah yeah, I will read that later”, reluctantly. I want to put it in my list with intent.

I don’t have any specifics for this goal other than to read twenty books, and it doesn’t matter what genre they are. I do, however, want to at least attempt to read the books I have typed in my messy note on my phone.

🗣 7. Submit a talk proposal to an international conference.

I want to get back into public speaking. I haven’t done a talk for a year (save for an internal talk I did at work about my fitness journey), and I really want to speak at an international conference. Perhaps for the international recognition, but also because I want to regain the drive to share and present awesome things I have learned. I have never submitted a talk proposal to an international conference before. Heck, I might even go for two. 🤞

📸 8. Take 50 pictures of different locations outside of Sydney.

I want to explore photography again, and get into taking really nice photos on my travels. The idea is to take photos that speak volumes about a certain city or area, be it landscape or street, natural or urban. In the end I want to have a beautiful “portfolio” of fifty photos of various places.

Off we go!

I do actually plan to write more frequent Checkpoint posts compared to last year! I probably should have made that a goal? 😛 I’ll keep you all updated.