2025 Bucket List
I'm sharing my bucket list for 2025 with you
In the following post, I will share my bucket list for 2025, explain how it works, tell you why I shared my bucket list, and finally ask a favor from you. Wishing you a brave and endearing new year.
2025 Bucket List
Publish an op-ed in a major editorial.
Ski down Mt. Rainier (aka Tahoma).
Tour the west in my 1993 Volvo 240.
Meet and interview a coyote (smuggles immigrants across the Mexico-US border).
Help pioneer a first ski descent in a country I’ve never been.
Run 1000 continuous miles somewhere in Asia.
Help 10 families raise themselves out of poverty.
Get 1 million Tik Tok views.
Kiss a stranger on the street.
Land a big sponsorship deal.
Run the NYC marathon.
Play Twister with my brother, sister, mom, dad, and step-mom.
How it works
You may notice that this list has 12 goals. That comes out roughly to one goal per month. The concept is based on the book imprint Twelve founded by a role model of mine, which publishes only twelve high-quality books per year. The imprint devotes its full attention to the launch of one book per month.
Why I’m sharing my bucket list with you
Ben Nemtin says (in all caps), “ONCE YOU COMMIT TO BIG GOALS & LIVE WITH INTENTION, LIFE OPENS UP WITH UNENDING POSSIBILITIES.” Nemtin argues that sharing your goals turns the negative fear of what other people think of you into positive motivation. I can agree considering that I was extremely motivated to finish my run from the Indian Ocean to the Shoe 4 Africa Hospital by the fear of people judging me if I failed. And I grew even more when my fear came true— I fell short of my fundraising goal of $100,000 by an order of magnitude— and my loved ones didn’t love me any less.
So, who’s Ben Nemtin? In 2010, he and his friends shot a TV series called The Buried Life, in which they toured North America in a van attempting to complete a list of “100 things to do before you die.” The list includes goals like, “Play ball with President Obama,” “Write a #1 New York Times Bestselling book,” and “Help deliver a stranger’s baby,” which they successfully did.
My best friend Daniel pointed out another reason why to share goals with others. He said that he could only help me achieve my goals if he knows what they are. This reminded me of my experience in Africa. Many people wanted my help generally, but I only ended up helping the ones who told me their dream. Masoud, for example, wanted to become a doctor, and after I shared his goal on my blog, my mom and grandma paid his school tuition.
Instead of publishing 100 goals to do before I die like Ben Nemtin, I’m thinking of this list as the 12 goals to do before the I Run Earth blog dies. It occurred to me when I wrote my annual report that the odds of success for any new business are low, let alone a blog-based business, so it could be prudent to treat this year as if it’s the last. Therefore, I formed the bucket list with the mindset that, if I Run Earth fails, I will be happy about what it documented during its lifetime.
Will you do me a favor?
One thing I would also like is to see your bucket list of “12 things to do before 2026.” The goals can be any mix of adventure, physical health, mental health, giving, spiritual, financial, professional, relationships, intellectual, or creative. I recently read a blog post by someone whose New Year’s resolution last year was to find a husband. She failed, but her friend who resolved to drink less Diet Coke ended up falling in love. I share that story just to show that you can’t go wrong. Any goal is great. You can reply to this email or send a message to olly.k.cohen@gmail.com. If you’d be comfortable with me sharing your goals in some capacity on the I Run Earth blog, anonymously or named, that would also be great. Otherwise, I’ll still be happy to read your goals and hope that, in taking the time to write them out and share them with another person, you are one step closer to realizing them.
Thank you! Have a stupendous day.