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I made a 40 before 40 list today for my 35th birthday.

When I turned 32, I created a list of 105 things I wanted to do in 1,095 days. Yesterday I shared the review of those 105 things.

I didn’t complete 105 things in 3 years, but I would love to see the completion of 40 things in the next 5 years.

My personality is such that I am highly motivated and easily inspired to take action when I think it’s worth achieving. 

I am constantly setting goals (both short and long-term goals), and I usually reach them (or come close) because most of them are SMART goals

There are various driving forces, depending on the goal, but whatever the goal is, the force is typically intense. (By the way, I believe this is a strength, but can also be a huge weakness at times.)

Here are a few Richard Branson quotes on goals, attitude, and motivation that I love. Before I share my 40 before 40 list with you, I thought I’d share these quotes to maybe help inspire you to create your own list of sorts. (By the way, if you do create your own list, I’d love to see it. Comment below with where I can find yours.)

My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of every day. I never do anything with a feeling of, ‘Oh God, I’ve got to do this today.’

My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long university education that I never had–every day I’m learning something new.

My definition of success? The more you’re actively and practically engaged, the more successful you will be.

40 Before 40 sarahkayhoffman.com Richard Branson quote on success

Alright, so here is my list of 40 before 40….40 things I want to do before I turn 40. And seriously, how did I go from 21 to 35 and on to 40 in such a flash?!

40 Before 40

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40 Before 40 sarahkayhoffman.com 40 ideas to accomplish before 40 years old

  1. Find my cadence and truly embrace being a mom
  2. Go to Vietnam
  3. Make $XYZ per year (I’m not totally driven by money, but I am definitely driven by it. If you know me well, you know it’s not so I can buy material things, but for all the other things on this list.)
  4. Be in our forever home
  5. Go to Italy
  6. Complete 20 trail races (that’s 4 per year) (I decided today for my birthday, I’d sign up for the first race as the gift to myself. I’m still deciding which one to do!)
  7. Take a trip with only mom
  8. Go hiking and exploring in 3 different and unique places with my brother JJ
  9. Surprise 4 people each year with a gift they were not expecting
  10. Have zero SIBO relapses and a gut that’s functioning 100% at least 90% of the time in the next 5 years
  11. Continue improving strength + endurance (This one is definitely not a SMART goal, but I know what it means and what it feels like. During this past year, I have focused on less overall running miles, but more strength-endurance training and I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life with all gut issues at Bay. That’s the sweet  spot that I want to keep building upon.)
  12. Read The Bible
  13. Go on a mission trip
  14. Publish The Gutsy Girl’s Bible: an approach for healing the gut 3.0
  15. Get licensed in the state of Minnesota to foster
  16. Get a dog for the kids (we have a breed in mind, but the time is not right yet)
  17. Read 4 books a year (20 total), any and all topics welcomed
  18. Have my work featured in a magazine or some other national outlet
  19. Be at the Director (or higher) level with Beautycounter and instead of focusing on my own sales, mentor other women to hit their own high levels of sales. (I climbed from Consultant to Senior Consultant to Manager in just a few months due to a wild passion for the product and company, so I’d love to continue climbing on the fast track, and sharing with others how to do it, too.)
  20. Be part of a company that gets bought out by a larger company.
  21. Run the Ultimate Hawaiin Trail Run
  22. Produce and release my recipe for ‘Instant Pot Bone Broth’
  23. Have or have our plan for our family getaway home in the mountains somewhere (not the West coast mountains, but something closer – it’s a life dream for Ryan and I for us and the kids) 
  24. Take the kids on a cruise
  25. Go on a date with Ryan once per month – just he and me, no kids
  26. Give up something + add in something every single year for Lent (I already know what I’m giving up this year for Lent, but still haven’t decided on the adding in part)
  27. Meet Mark Cuban (am I crazy?!)
  28. Go to Guatemala with Makenzie on behalf of personal growth and exploration but also Kakao
  29. Produce another e-cookbook (still trying to decide who I’m making it for — SIBO friendly? Paleo Baking? AIP Cooking? etc.)
  30. Hire my VA full time (or keep her PT and hire someone in person PT as well)
  31. Try a class (even if it’s just one session) that has to do with something completely new to me (bonus if it’s something with Ryan)
  32. Take several food styling classes
  33. Go on a weekend trip with just Samarah (not until she’s at least 5)
  34. Do a weekend trip with just Isaiah (not until he’s at least 5)
  35. Take a weekend trip with just Amiya (not until she’s at least 17 5 🙂 )
  36. Getaway trip with Kristi, Kristi, and Meg (my MN besties)
  37. Girl’s only weekend in Chicago with Shondra and Missy (my other besties)
  38. Getaway trip with Kim (+ many more weekends like last – duh!)
  39. Create one recipe per year that becomes a staple go-to (like my AIP Bread)
  40. Absorb as much as possible from ADAPT and/or enroll in another Chris Kresser program

And last, but definitely not least, making this the 41st goal (and perhaps the best part of this list).

My hope is to spend my 40th birthday with family – all of them in Minnesota. My biggest and best wish today, on my 35th birthday, is that on the day I turn 40 and this list is complete, that I find myself clanking glasses with and toasting to my dad who will have kicked cancer in the a#$.

p.s. I’m totally making my own birthday cake again this year. I’m doing a version of my Paleo Birthday Cake.

40 Before 40 sarahkayhoffman.com Paleo Birthday Cake with Rainbow Unicorn FrostingXox,
SKH

If you don’t have time to read these posts daily, but don’t want to miss them, be sure to follow via Bloglovin’ and/or join my personal e-newsletter HERE. I am doing my best to send a once per week email recap of prior week’s posts.

These posts will all live under “Wellness+Lifestyle” and also tagged with “101 Days of Blogging.” The 101-day series runs from Monday, January 8, 2018, through Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

If there is a topic surrounding change that you would love for me to include in this series, please just CONTACT ME.

Previous 101-Day Change Series Posts

  1. Beginnings are Scary
  2. Change Pain Point
  3. Making Sense of Change
  4. Gratitude Journal
  5. Love Your Baby Girl
  6. Little Things Add Up
  7. House and Home
  8. Sunday Reflections
  9. Two
  10. Chocolate Shake
  11. 3-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Shake
  12. Chaos is a Temporary State
  13. Thirsty Thursday
  14. Month One
  15. The Nudge to Connect
  16. 11 Favorites from 11 Years in California
  17. One Box at a Time
  18. Good Enough is Enough
  19. There is No Dishwasher
  20. WWDW Number 8
  21. Move Initiated
  22. Sharing My Journey
  23. Back with the Tribe
  24. Small Town Grocery Shopping Part One
  25. January 2018 Catch Up Over Bone Broth
  26. Patsy Clairmont is My Spirit Animal
  27. Let There Be Light
  28. Forgot About Rae
  29. Smiles
  30. Coconut Oil Makeup Remover How To
  31. 9 Ways to Embrace Winter
  32. Escaping People
  33. Coming Home
  34. 105 in 1,095

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9 Comments

  1. Happy birthday, Sarah!

    So many awesome things on your list. I lost my mom to cancer when I was 34, so that trip with your mom really jumped out at me. Praying you get another 30 years or more with both of your parents.

    As for reading the Bible, I am following a daily plan that I really enjoy. It’s from YouVersion and is called Bible in One Year. Each day there is a passage from the Old and New Testaments plus something from Psalms or Proverbs. There is a daily devotional that ties the readings together. I can usually read it in the time I drink my first cup of coffee. The app has a “catch me up” feature that keeps me from feeling out of control if I fall behind.

  2. Love your list! Hope you can do at least one of those trail runs in California with me! ❤️❤️❤️ Happy birthday sweetheart! ????

  3. Happy belated birthday! Crazy weekend and missed your blog. Hope you had a fantastic Minnesota birthday! Best wishes to your 40 plans!

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