I came across this book in the bookshop today. Probably the perfect antidote for anyone who doesn’t want to start up a list.

I flicked through it at the shop (didn’t buy it of course, as it might have an adverse effect on my list!), and found it quite amusing.

Here is the snippet of the description from Amazon:

Can’t Be Arsed is a hilarious diatribe that takes a detailed look at the alternative side of the 101 most frequently cited must do’s, revealing the ugly details that most of these guidebooks conveniently ignore. It gives off-putting facts and statistics to quote at holier-than-thou thrillseekers, so the next time somebody tells you that you simply must swim with dolphins, read Kafka in Prague, or go skydiving, you can tell them exactly where to get off.

So, if you are looking for some light relief to the pressure of making and completing a list, check out Can’t Be Arsed.

Get it online here.

Month completed: September 2009

Introducing yourself to others is never an easy thing to do.

Although people almost always say hello back, exchange your handshake or smile back, starting a conversation with a complete stranger is never easy.

So to achieve this goal, I wanted to go somewhere that I would have to introduce myself.

That place, I decided, would be a networking event. One in which I went on my own, and knew not a sole who was there.

And what better networkers are there than entrepreneurs? Not many.

So on Tuesday I went to an entrepreneurs event in west London, on the Thames, which someone handed me a pamphlet for.

Aimed with business cards and a big smile I entered.

Immediately I looked for someone on their own, to start a conversation with.

He was almost relieved when I started speaking with him, which reminded me that starting conversations with strangers is an almost universal fear.

Once we started talking we then became a magnet for others to join our conversation, and by the end of the night, I had spoken to and exchanged business cards with well over the 10 people I was after for this goal.

The event finished at 9pm, but I had such a great time meeting new people that I was one of the last to leave, at 11pm.

I am now looking to feed my entrepreneurial desire, so will definitely be trying to go to more networking events and continuing to say hi to strangers (within reason!).

p.s Apologies for the lack of recent posts – a lot of my time is taken training for the half-marathon at the moment.

[Image via here]

Might seem slightly bizarre that this one didn’t make the list (especially as I struggled to think of the last 20 or 30 goals!).

But it didn’t make it.

Not that it was a goal that I didn’t want to achieve.

Anyhoo, it is now a goal that has been achieved.

What was the goal?

To get engaged (and then married).

That’s right readers. Nat and I are now engaged to be married!

I am officially a grown-up now, complete with fiance status, and a big bill from the beautiful engagement ring that Nat now wears on her finger.

I have to say – this is the best non-goal I think I have ever achieved.

I love you Nat – thanks for agreeing to continue putting up with me!

You may have noticed to the right of the website there is now a new feature. This is my donation collector for a half-marathon I will be doing on September 27 in London.

This will complete goal 6, which is to complete a half-marathon.

However, doing this will also hopefully tick off a second goal – goal 98.

Goal 98 is to be part of a world record.

How will running a half marathon break a world record, you ask?

Well, I (and 249 others) will be running the race dressed as a banana!

We are attempting to break the world record for the most people dressed as fruit in one place.

All money raised goes to a very worthy cause, Leukaemia Research. I am trying to raise £1,000.01 (because it is a palindrome) – about AUD $2,000.00.

To donate, you can go here or click on the orange donate button on the widget at the right.

SPECIAL OFFER – Bonus good karma with every donation – ends tomorrow!

Month completed: July 2009

The three foods I hate, and chose to give a second chance to, were:

• Olives
• Blue Vein Cheese
• Vegemite on toast

Here’s how I went (there are several near-spews along the way):

Month completed: July 2009

Like any good Londoner, I now have a bike.

Like any very good Londoner, I now have a folding bike.

He is orange, and I have named him Banksy, after the iconic London artist/vandal, whose work I dig.

You like?

Here is what Banksy looks like, all folded up at home.

I love riding so much. It cuts down my travel time to work by more than half, and I can stop using public transport. Nat has a bike too, so we are going to start doing lots of weekend rides together – can’t wait!

Month completed: July 2009

This is the space in our new house that a TV should be.

However, since Nat and I moved into our new house a month ago, we have not gotten round to purchasing a TV (the old house had one already, but this one didn’t).

And after a month without TV, I must say I am out of the habit of watching it. With books to read (I am currently on the fourth Harry Potter), a wedding to plan (more on that later), and late nights of work, TV has not been a necessity.

And right now, we are in no rush to change that.

The only thing I do miss is the Ashes, which just started, and would have been good to flick on this weekend.

Month completed: May 2009

As mentioned in a previous post, I went to Bali recently for a bit of rest and relaxation, but also to catch up my family, who I hadn’t seen for nine months, what with me being in the UK, and they in Australia.

One of the activities I did while there was scuba diving (that’s me below), and my experience was a lot different to what I was expecting.

Here’s what I found:

• It is hard to force yourself to be calm, when your only air supply is coming through a mouthpiece that could fall out of your mouth at any moment
• Then there is the stress of making sure you pop your ears every metre, and not coming up too quickly, or you could die
• A thumbs up hand signal does not mean ‘things are all good’. It means ‘I want to go back up to the surface’
• A five minute training session is just about enough (people have been surprised when I told them that was all we had before we went down, but for me, it was enough)
• Being a good swimmer counts for nothing, as it is all about using the flippers properly
• It takes about twenty minutes to stop stressing about losing your mouthpiece, and start actually enjoying the views
• The views of the colourful fish, coral and sea anenome are really amazing
• Being among all the fish and coral is like being on an entirely new planet
• Going down 10 metres doesn’t sound like much, but it actually was

Would I go again? Absolutely. Next time, at the Great Barrier Reef.

Here’s a couple of shots of the event. The first is during the training. I got caught looking very confused. The second is just seconds before going under. The heart was beating fast at that point.

Month completed: June 2009

To achieve this goal, I decided to bring in an expert. Shaun Church approached me after I put the call out on Twitter for someone with the skills to build what I was looking for.

This was back in December, and after six months of blood, sweat and tears, we have created what people may well call…THE GREATEST WEBSITE EVER MADE

Then again, they may not.

But why don’t you head there now, and make up your own mind.

p.s. there is a puzzle hidden within the pages of the website. See if you can solve it!

Came across an interesting post today that puts into question the merit of publicising my list of goals onto a public forum.

The post was about how announcing your plans to other people,  before actually achieving them, can actually hinder the chances of achieving the objective of the plan. Or ‘keep quiet til the job is done’.

Here is a small excerpt:

”

Tests done since 1933 show that people who talk about their intentions are less likely to make them happen.

Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.

In 1933, W. Mahler found that if a person announced the solution to a problem, and was acknowledged by others, it was now in the brain as a “social reality”, even if the solution hadn’t actually been achieved.

“

You can read the full post here.

So, according to this theory, creating Project 183 is a good idea, but creating a website dedicated to the listing, and ongoing accomplishment of the goals in Project 183 is a bad idea…

…not in my opinion!

From my experience, putting my goals into a website has had the opposite effect.

As well as the feeling of pride when I write a ‘completed goal’ post, it has given me a feeling of accountability, because I know that there are readers who have followed the project for a while, and the occasional reader who has been inspired as a result. To not do everything possible to complete the project would not just disappoint me, but potentially it could be a bit disheartening for other people too.

Of course, every case is different, and it is up to the individual to decide for themselves whether to talk plans before or after they are achieved. But for me, telling people early is great motivation to get things done.