50 before 50

I turned 49 on my last birthday. That makes me in my 50th year of life. Contemplating turning 50 within the next year, I decided that I want to set some goals and create some accomplishments for this 50th year of life. I spent a considerable amount of time speculating what goals I should make. I wanted them to be attainable. Reading 50 books in a year is just not realistic for me! There is no reason to set that as a goal. I wanted to have a variety of goals, ones that touched the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I included some challenging goals, ones that would stretch me a bit. And I created some easy goals, ones I could check off throughout the year and keep me motivated. I know it sounds like a lot of goals -it is. It's OK. I have a whole year to accomplish them. :)
I also decided to keep a separate journal just for this year. It is actually a planner. I listed my goals in the front of the book. I write my thoughts each day in the square space for the date. In the "To-Do" section, I write about my progress on the goals. I am disappointed to say that I am a little behind in my progress. I know there is still plenty of time (9 months) to attain all the written declarations, but I don't want to be cramming in the last month!
Anyway, instead of dreading the big 5-0 or being disappointed with the lack of fanfare, I decided to try the outward approach. I hope to better myself and bless some people along the way. I don't think there is a more fulfilling gift.