Share How You Came To 43 Things

I’m Happy To Say….
that my daughter has joined 43things. I told her months ago that this would be a good way to keep track goals and lists without all the clutter of myspace. She surprised me by listing a couple of very serious goals about raising her daughter and dealing with day to day things happening in her life.

The Ultimate Answer to The Great Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. I had forgotten the exact phrase of the question but I knew the answer was forty something. So I entered 43 into google search and it brought me here. Hmmm. Maybe 43 is the Ultimate Answer. File this under “Syncronicity”.

Though, perhaps not as unrelated as I initially believed.

I first happened across 43Things whilst searching online for information on three things: divorce, passport applications, and language lessons. This was way back in July or August of 2005. At the time, I’d just come to the realisation that the marriage I was in was no more… in fact, if I recall correctly, I’d just arrived home from a final couples counselling session, during which I’d decided to pull the plug, and do something different with my life.

The site caught my interest enough that I bookmarked it to check out later. Later ended up being October 2005, when I came back for a closer look, and decided to sign up.

I have many reasons to be thankful for having found this place… I’ve met amazing people, both online and in person (hoping to do more of this in the near future). I’ve had the opportunity to learn so much from others… through discussions, receiving wonderful advice, and sharing your experiences. Buoyed by others’ bravery, adventures, and support, I’ve tried new things that I’d never have imagined just a few years ago.

I’ve also been very lucky in having met, met, and married one particular 43Thinger, and I’m still amazed at how this all happened. Obviously, without 43T, it simply wouldn’t be so.

Sometimes, the results generated by a search engine can be quite spectacular.

A friend sent me the link to NaNoWriMo way back when and there was a link to here.

I was looking for a local bookclub when I found this site. When I joined 43t I decided to start one on here and we had a good launch but it didn’t last. I may try again this winter.

My last year in college was a bit lonelier than the rest, and I had a difficult job and a lot of coursework. I was also walking at least five or six miles every day just to get where I needed to go, so I would come home exhausted and turn on the NPR and make myself some veggies. I didn’t have a tv, so I got into the habit of just googling random phrases to see what would come up so I would have something to look at while I ate.
I have no idea what I googled when 43 things came up for the first time, but I remember being incredibly excited that such a place could possibly exist. I think I just skimmed through it voyeuristically for over a year before I got the courage to become a member and start posting goals. Now I’m as addicted to it as I am to my diary. Sometimes I feel like I write too much, but I read SO much here too.
The fact that you can be fairly anonymous and still communicate about deep and personal things with other people has got to be one of the greatest wonders of this internet world. I love getting comments, and I love leaving comments and, I especially love getting comments about how something I said helped somebody or amused them. This place is an introvert’s dream, and God bless it.
I haven’t accomplished anything big since I started (about six months ago), but it’s a wonderful comfort to travel around from page to page and see all the magnificent things (and fun trivial things) that other people are accomplishing. I’m in awe of those people you find here who have accomplished dozens of goals, and not only small goals, but also goals that are truly life-changing.
I hope to become one of those people, goal by goal, as soon as I can.

I started 43T in April 2005 when there were only about 400 members in London. I don’t know how many there are now, but a lot more than that!

As it was a new site, I think I just gave it a go and started playing around. My first completed goal was Buy 7 pairs of new socks and use the rest as rags. Not exactly momentous, but since then, 43T has been privy (and possibly partially responsible) for a whole lot of amazing changes in my life. I’ve planted trees, done NaNoWriMo, travelled the world, run a 5K, volunteered, started a business and am now planning to move to the countryside! Quite a lot in 2 and a half years.

I decided to keep my original name which I adopted on a whim as I was reading The Sun Also Rises at the time (Jake Barnes). There are virtually no similarities between Jake and I. He lives in the present, I plan ahead. He pursues a doomed relationship, I am happily married. He is a man, I am a woman. God knows why I picked him, but he’s carried me a long way!

” When you want to quit, just think why you held on for so long”

The next time I want to quit something, I just got to come and see the cheers I have got for that one… and I start trying again.

Thank you all!

They say that if you truly desire something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to help you achieve it. Nothing ever happens by chance. The choices we made yesterday attract the appropriate things and people into our life today. And I think the choice I made to improve my life and not be stagnant, miraculously brought this site to my attention.

I had just watched an Oprah Winfrey show about one girl who achieved her dreams. And I remember googling on something like ’ finding my passion ’. I am not too sure. And since, this was a popular goal on this site, I found it.

Initially, it was all about ME & MY GOALS. It felt like suddenly you had all your dreams penned in front of you and each pulling you towards it. Slowly, I started looking around. And I knew that I was not crazy. I knew I was not foolish. Most importantly, i knew I was not alone.

Yes, there are others having bigger and sometimes better goals. You feel awed, inspired, sometimes intrigued, provoked and even funny. You feel like FAMILY. And I am happy to be a part of this big family of dreamers, of people who want to be different and make a difference.

Hats off to all of us!

I read about it on bookcrossing