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Things to Do Before I Die

“Every man dies. Not every man really lives.” – William Ross

This list of things to to before I die was inspired by the awesome list of Amber Rae.

  1. Build a company that changes the world.
  2. Build an investment fund that invests in companies creating jobs in frontier markets.
  3. Be part of creating a world in which every human being has access to the basic human needs of food, water, shelter, basic medicine, and basic education.
  4. Be part of a team that takes a company public.
  5. Get a graduate degree in business from HBS or Stanford GSB.
  6. Get a graduate degree in public policy from HKS.
  7. Write a book on how to change the world, live passionately, and build an awesome business. (Working titles –> Either Love What You Do or The Passion-Driven Life)
  8. Through HumanityFund, build an investment portfolio of companies in the developing world that gets compounded above market returns while creating lots of jobs.
  9. Attend the Singularity University Executive Education Program
  10. Someday work in public service for the U.S. Government.
  11. Someday live on another continent.
  12. Be part of building a company to more than $1 billion in sales.
  13. Create over 1 million jobs during my lifetime through the companies I lead and invest in.
  14. Spend 6 months traveling the world.
  15. Visit 100 countries and every continent by age 50 (inspired by http://chrisguillebeau.com/places-ive-been/), up to 23 so far.
  16. Dance in 100 countries and post a 5 minute compilation video of it (#thanksfortheinspiration Matt!).
  17. Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and reach Uhuru Peak.
  18. Drive the length of New Zealand’s highway 6.
  19. Drive the length of the Carretera Austral in Chile.
  20. Go ATVing in the Gobi Desert.
  21. Go wind surfing and hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro.
  22. Do yoga in Bali.
  23. Inspire others to reach their full human potential
  24. Ride an Ostrich in South Africa.
  25. Speak in front of 10,000 people at once during a presentation (up to 1,500 so far!).
  26. Give a TED talk.
  27. Attend the World Economic Forum in Davos.
  28. Be a guest on The Daily Show.
  29. Go to Burning Man with Chip Conley.
  30. Meditate with Deepak Chopra.
  31. See a Cirque du Soleil show (can’t believe I haven’t done this yet!).
  32. Participate in a freestyle rap battle in NYC.
  33. Join a hip hop dance crew in NYC.
  34. Be a guest DJ at a night club.
  35. Do all the things on my NYC Bucket List (below)
  36. Perform improv on stage at SecondCity Chicago.
  37. Play trampoline dodge ball.
  38. Create and bury a time capsule for my kids to dig up 20 years later.
  39. Be a mentor at The Unreasonable Institute in Boulder, Co and be part of Unreasonable at Sea.
  40. Go to the Dialog Retreat.
  41. Talk philosophy with Eben Pagan and Nick Beim in NYC.
  42. Win a scavenger hunt in another country.
  43. Meet the love of my life.
  44. Get married to the love of my life and be a great partner.
  45. Be a great father.
  46. Watch every Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks movie ever made with my children.
  47. Join the UN Foundation Board of Directors.
  48. Get a picture with Ban Ki Moon
  49. Build a company to $100 million in all-time sales
  50. Join the UN Foundation Global Entrepreneurs Council
  51. Publish a book on entrepreneurship
  52. Chair Nourish.org, a non-profit that works to reduce global poverty
  53. Invest in a company in East Africa
  54. Live with two Kenyan marathoners
  55. Speak in front of 1000 people
  56. Build a certified B Corp
  57. Build a company with an integrated corporate social responsibility (CSR) program
  58. Attend the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
  59. Graduate from the EO/MIT Entrepreneurial Masters Program
  60. Attend Summit Series
  61. Attend a StartingBloc Institute
  62. Attend Opportunity Collaboration
  63. Attend a Renaissance Weekend in Charleston and Aspen
  64. Jump out of an airplane to raise money for Tanzanian microfinance
  65. Hip hop dance with kids in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya
  66. Hike with the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda
  67. Ride a camel in Giza
  68. Hike through the Picos de Europa
  69. Win a scavenger hunt in Washington D.C.
  70. Go ziplining in Nicaragua and Whistler
  71. Visit India and China
  72. Mentor tech entrepreneurs in Egypt
  73. Give a TEDx talk

A Major Life Goal

One of my major life goals is to see a world exist in our lifetime which there is no extreme poverty. In 1800, 99% of the world lived on under $2 per day in constant 2011 dollars. Today, 39% of the world lives on under $2 per day. We are making progress across every major human development KPI (like life expectancy, infant mortality, per capita income, and % under $2/day) and we have the opportunity to actually end extreme poverty in our lifetime such that every human being has access to opportunity and basic human needs. This is exciting to me!

In my lifetime, I hope to be a leader in this movement and work through business, entrepreneurship, investing, writing, and public service to make a difference. I see that our generation has the opportunity to advance human society to the point that every human being has sufficient access to wealth and opportunity to address their basic human needs.

Countries Visited So Far–The Path to 100 Countries By Age 50

#inspiredby http://chrisguillebeau.com/places-ive-been/

  1. 1984: United States
  2. 1984: United Kingdom
  3. 1991: Germany
  4. 1991: France
  5. 1991: Italy
  6. 1991: Austria
  7. 1991: Netherlands
  8. 1994: Bahamas
  9. 1994: Costa Rica
  10. 1994: Jamaica
  11. 2000: Belize
  12. 2000: Spain
  13. 2000: Mexico
  14. 2008: China
  15. 2008: India
  16. 2008: United Arab Emirates
  17. 2008: Uganda
  18. 2008: Kenya
  19. 2009: Ethiopia
  20. 2010: Turkey
  21. 2010: Burundi
  22. 2011: Rwanda
  23. 2011: Egypt

NYC Things to Do Before I Die List

One city is so amazing it deserves its own list. Here’s my current New York City bucket list!

  1. Go on a biking tours of Manhattan and Brooklyn! - http://www.bikethebigapple.com/calendar.php
  2. Do a free tour of the NYC Federal Reserve - http://www.ny.frb.org/aboutthefed/ny_tours.html.
  3. Go on a walking tour of Wall Street - http://www.nycgo.com/venues/wall-street-walks
  4. See a taping of The Late Show, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report
  5. Take a Helicopter Tour - http://www.libertyhelicopter.com/tours.php?tour=nyny
  6. See a free outdoor movie in the Summer - http://www.nycgo.com/articles/free-outdoor-movies-in-nyc
  7. Kayak on the Hudson - http://www.downtownboathouse.org/Pier40.html
  8. Go on a tour of the hidden tunnels of Brooklyn – Climb down a manhole and discover a world down-under on Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn - http://www.brooklynrail.net/bhra_events.html
  9. Go on a NYC Scavenger hunt - http://watsonadventures.com/schedule.html
  10. Go on “The Ride” tourbus show - http://www.citysightsny.com/tourpage.php?item=TRP
  11. Visit the Central Park Zoo and make lots of animal noises.
  12. Take the Staten Island Ferry
  13. See Fuerza Bruta
  14. See the Broadway Musicals Wicked, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Chicago
  15. Visit the Statue of Liberty
  16. Go to the top of the Empire State Building
  17. Tour the UN
  18. Go to the Top of the Rock Observatory deck to look over Central Park
  19. Have drinks at the Salon De Ning rooftop at the Peninsula
  20. See New Year’s Eve in Times Square
  21. See live music at Rockwood Music Hall in LES
  22. Visit the Met
  23. Eat at Eataly
  24. Go on a Hudson River dinner cruise
  25. Citysights all around town double decker tour
  26. Visit the 230 Fifth and Salon de Ning Rooftop Bars
  27. See my brother perform in an improv show

And now for some cool inspiration by way of the Holstee company manifesto. Pretty cool right…