My 2020 goals

To begin with, I am not entirely sure what I think about goal setting. Naturally goals are needed in institutional settings, such as in businesses and governments, but personal goals can be either constructive or disruptive. On one hand, they can provide structure; clarity and focus on what one wants in order to be satisfied. On the other hand, too strict goals can prevent one from seeing opportunities outside of their scope, or failing to reach these goals can result in disappointment.

There are people who are driven by tackling challenges and turning difficult into easy. It is not so much about the end result – since achieving one goal just makes space for new ones – but about the journey getting there. I definitely enjoy the process of working hard to learn a new skill or acquire new knowledge, and step by step getting closer to mastering it.

I am trying to follow a philosophy of living in the now and accepting each event as it is. Therefore making plans – defining which outcome is preferable to another one – contradicts with my life view. I guess I can still set myself goals but stay careful about getting attached to them. I can work towards something with the mindset that each outcome - be it success or failure - is equally alright. Instead of defining very quantitative, limiting goals, I can come up with directive ones that can be altered according to circumstances.

Unless something dramatic, like an injury or illness happens, I would like to lead my life towards below goals:

#1 Settle down (in Switzerland)

During the past 20 years I have lived in 7 different countries and done long travels all around. It has been awesome and I am eternally grateful for the opportunities to experience a lot while following my dreams. However, now I am done being a nomad. I want to build myself a home base, from where to go exploring and where to return to.

I have lived in Switzerland for a year and for the first time I feel like I have found a country I want to call home. Switzerland is greatly located in the heart of Europe, it offers prospective job opportunities and its mountainous landscape is simply stunning. Surely it is also hell expensive and making local friends takes ages, but those obstacles can be overcome with adaptation and persistence. I want to integrate in to the Swiss life and get a nice home, a motivating job and good friends.

(Right now I am dirtbagging in Spain to save money until I find my next job. Sure this is fun as always, but I am a bit tired of people constantly coming and going. I am also missing meaningful activities apart from climbing. Being a traveler no longer feels as thrilling as it did some years ago.)

Disclaimer: I am also open to settling down elsewhere, if I for example get a dream job or fall in love with someone, that needs following.

#2 Grow professionally (among international development)

I graduated from university 10 years ago, and ended up in the IT sector. I learned a lot in many different functions, but it was never my passion. During the past years I have worked hard to break into the field of international development, that is damn competitive, interesting and purposeful. I enjoy working with people who are motivated, opinioned and tolerant, driven by impact instead of money.

I have half accidentally acquired niche knowledge in carbon finance. Next I want to broaden my expertise to inclusive business models, sustainable agriculture and fair value chains. I know that I cannot save the world, but improving lives of some people through providing them means to do it themselves would be meaningful to me. I would like to continue working with projects located in poor rural areas in developing countries. There are many NGOs and for-purpose companies offering interesting work opportunities, and I really hope I will get a job soon.

Disclaimer: If I do not get an international development job, but still prioritize living in Switzerland, I am okey with working at a climbing gym, an outdoor store or even a cafe until I get a job I really want.

#3 Climb better (send 7Bs)

I properly started outdoor climbing 5 years ago in Thailand, at the beginning of my first long travels. I sent my first 7B route 2 years ago but have not sent any more since then. I keep trying to improve in climbing but have plateaued at my current level. I know I have what it takes to be a better climber, but I have no idea how to get there. In order to avoid getting frustrated always climbing at the same level, I have set myself qualitative goals alongside grade goals.

I want to become a skilled climber with precise footwork, balanced movement and dynamic style. Climbing efficiently and confidently, not avoiding run-outs, finding rest spots and trying until falling off also belong to my goal list. I usually do not send my project routes because I cannot solve their cruxes. I want to learn to come up with optimal beta (or listen to advice about it) and memorize it rapidly. Also having the right mindset is important, so staying positive, focused and calm will help me not only in climbing better but also in fully enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I may compromise on the 7B grade goal. If I end up traveling for a longer time without training facilities and/or partners willing to project, I might have to stick to skills improvement and having fun.

#4 Learn German (Swiss German)

As a kid I learned German at school, but I never used it in real life. When I moved to Switzerland I decided that I want to learn the local language. I put lots of effort into speaking as much German as possible, often at the cost of not being able to properly express myself by engaging in deep conversations. Little by little the commitment has paid off and now I can handle most situations in German.

However, German is not Swiss German. I still need to ask people to speak to me in German, as I do not understand anything in Swiss German. I do not care how I speak myself, but I want to learn to understand Swiss German. I also want to learn to write professional documents with proper grammar and vocabulary. In a nutshell, I want to make (Swiss) German my primary language in Switzerland.

Disclaimer: There is none. Of all my to-be-achieved things during the past years, I have gotten furthest with German. I have truly enjoyed the improvement, and I am looking forward to returning to Switzerland to keep learning more.

I acknowledge that these goals can be set either for the year 2020 or the decade 2020. I do not want to explicitly specify which one I mean, but rather the first couple of years than all of them. To be honest, this big year change does not mean much to me, as tracking time is just an agreement for convenience, but it has provided this incentive to write down my main goals. Now, let's see what actually happens...