It is my 36 birthdays today, and while I generally do not get melancholy about turning a year older, birthdays are a good time to take stock of where you have been, where you are and more importantly, where you want to be in life.

The age of 36 is interesting, as it marks the start of the second half of the 30s it feels like turning the corner into adulthood for good. I want to list things that I would really like to do before I turn 37, and see if I can make it through.

Travel alone

Traveling alone can be one of the most liberating experiences you can have. You can do anything, at any time and any place. You would challenge yourself to explore and learn new things, and you will meet new people along the way.

Read, read, read

Reading has several benefits like boosting your imagination, improving your communication skills, keeping your brain sharp and help you learn new things and experiences. While I read a lot of technology books, I want to start reading non-work-related books in different extreme fields, like politics, history, life improvement, a novel and even parts of the holy bible. I might need some recommendations from my friends to help me out here.

Stop smoking and control what I eat

We all make foolish mistakes when we’re younger. And, for many of us, that mistake is smoking. It might have been cool in college, but it’s not a habit that is good for your health or those around you. I made a major milestone last year of dropping my smoking habit and will continue to do it this year. Also, it is so important to watch the kind of food we eat every day at this age.

Fail

Yes, you read that correctly. Fail. And fail a lot. There’s no better way to learn, grow and drive yourself to succeed in the future than to fail. Fail fast and learn to pick yourself up fast as well. I have many failures in my life, but I am not a quitter. I failed a lot and I lost friends, but all that made me a better person and more selective even on who and what I bring to my life.

Be a link not an endpoint

I started my personal blog couple of months back to start sharing my knowledge and thoughts, and I will continue doing so this year. I think everyone has something to share, but people either afraid to do it, do not have time, or they think they do not have something worth sharing. There is always something you have that matters to someone else, so start now.

Also, I read once that you need help to motivate yourself and improve in life. You might need someone to motivate you, or someone to share the activities that inspires you. While it is hard sometimes to find people standing next to you along your journey, you can start a challenge and share it on social media. Sharing in social media might make you more committed to complete the challenge and perhaps it can inspire others to do their own. I started the 60 days of inspiration challenge, and I share it in Facebook, so that I force myself to have something inspiring each day, worth sharing. The great thing is that some of my friends get inspired and they started their own 60 days of inspiration challenge.

It goes without saying that having a list of things written down, will make you more committed to do those things. Here my list for next year.

• Attend a Broadway show in New York.
• Go to a Concert in Europe or united states.
• Read more non-work-related books.
• Go to a theater.
• Go on a road trip foreign country.
• Go to theme park.
• Do something for charity.
• Go to an ice bar.
• Go to a stadium.
• Drive in foreign country.
• Visit Microsoft Head Office in Redmond.
• Spend a day in world class water park.
• Visit a castle.
• Visit one of the Disney world experiences [Paris, LA, Orlando].
• Volunteer.
• Plant a tree.
• Have a Segway tour.
• Go to a trip to Palestine.
• Visit Time Square at night.
• Watch a movie from the 50’s.
• Think about writing a book.
• Do public speaking.
• Swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Fly business class experience.
• Surprise my wife with a lovely romantic dinner.

You can start your own list. Check out those interesting resources:

First, the list of challenges in life site, will give you a cool overview of things you can do during your life. There is also this site that gives you suggestions on things you might see interesting to do.

Life is a journey, do not stuck in routine and repeat your days. No matter how busy you are, you can add something to your routine. You can create memories and things to talk about when you become old. Go out, explore the world, meet new people, create your own resolution for each year, start building your crazy list of things you want to accomplish, invent a challenge and share the progress on social media, start blogging, and share your stories.

Now envision this. You are old, and your grandchildren are playing around you all over the place. You took a moment to look back at your life and remember key moments. You want to tell your grandchildren stories and share your memories. This is when you realize how you lived your life. SO MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT.