My 2024 Plans, Goals and Resolutions

If you just read my 2023 year recap, then you may know I do these every year. I spend days thinking about what I want to achieve in the year ahead, and I even though I too am full of self-doubt, I know that if I write these goals down, i’m accountable. By admitting what I want, I can’t start making excuses about the direction I’m going. Lying to myself that I didn’t truly want those things anyway. It’s a common method of self-preservation by humans, but it keeps us limited, and average, or worse. So this is my way of ensuring I don’t drift.

So what am I hope for in 2024? Let’s have a look:

1) Get pregnant

Pretty effing simple. We really wanted to be blessed with this in 2023, but alas it sadly wasn’t to be. I’m really hoping 2024 is the year Jaa and I expand our family. Not much else to say. But if this happens, I couldn’t care less about any of my other goals to be honest. Fingers crossed.

2) Finish my 7 summits and ultimate explorers grand slam

I’m currently in Chile awaiting the weather to clear so I can fly to Antarctica and take on an 11 day climb of Mount Vinson, the 7th of my seven summits. Following that, all being well, I’ll head to the South Pole and hopefully finish my 15 year goal of being the first person to complete the ULTIMATE explorer’s grand slam (visit every country, climb the 7 summits, reach both poles). Truly a dream come true.

3) Increase my net worth my $100kUSD

The cornerstone of my yearly goals. I failed in 2023, I hope to put this right again in 2024. I think with social media, and 21 year olds renting fake private jets and lamborghinis makes people lose sight of how much money $10k is, or $100k is, or $1m. To increase my net worth by $100k, I need to SAVE $8,000USD a month, every month, for a year. It’s f*cking hard, almost impossible in face. You have to earn quite a lot, but then be hugely disciplined not to ball out and show off. I’ll try my best.

4) Run a trip to Timbuktu (and elsewhere)

Perhaps the coolest, most adventurous destination in the world – Timbuktu, Mali. Dangerous and hard to organise. I’ve alread paid $10k in bribes from my postponed trip, I hope 2024 is the year this happens. The trip is sold out with 14 legends, and we’re all waiting patiently for the green light!

I also am organising trips to Mauritania, Yemen (Socotra), Pakistan, Afghanistan and I hope Eritrea. So I’m looking forward to traveling with some legendary old friends, and hopefully some new ones too!

5) Increase my real estate portfolio (& buy a piece of land to develop)

I’ve been on a tear since I started making money blogging. We have 7 properties now, which is insane. For 2023, I hope of course to finish my mum’s house in Thailand, but also my goal for 2023 is to buy a piece of land. That’s it, simple as that. I’ll then aim to develop it in 2025 (or 2024 if I have enough money!). I guess the land will be around $100,000USD. That’s roughly the budget I’m looking at, I can build a sexy pool villa in Chiang Mai on land the size that $100k buys. So get to work Johnny boy.

6) Get my first of my OneStep4Ward events off the ground with the Eye of the Sahara Ultra Marathon

I turned 40 in 2023. And with my dreams of starting a family, the era of me backpacking for 9 months a year are behind me. What a ride that was though! I have a dream of hosting 4 events yearly, the same event each year, and showing people that we can all do epic things. Not just posers on Insta!

The first of these 4 events will hopefully be a 150km ultra marathon that I’m almost ready to launch, from the eye of the Sahara in Mauritania. Just awaiting governmental permission. December 2024 if you want to join. 20 spots only for the first year.

7) Create our prototype of our Denying Gravity hyperbaric chamber

One of my closes friends, Manuel, and I are obsessed with hyperbaric training. It’s when you either sleep, or train, in a tent and it mimics high altitude. It’s AMAZING for your health and fitness. I was using it to prep for Everest, and learned all about it. But the current devices are lacking somewhat, so we’re going to try to create a slightly improved version and get it live.

8) Take Jaa and my mum to at least 1 more new country each

They both love traveling as much as me. As someone who has visited every country, I aim to get the 2 ladies in my life as close to 100 countries as possible. Jaa is currently on 50, and my mum around 70. Let’s see.

9) Be in the best physical shape of my life at 40

Simple as that. This includes running at least one ultra marathon in 2024, and having the the lowest body fat of my life. Also, maintaining my drinking-credits system (where I have 75 drinking credits per year, my friends and I record on a google spreadsheet – it’s completely changed my relationship with alcohol, 4 years of this now).

I’ve been getting fitter and fitter as I’ve got older to be honest, but if I want to create my hyperbaric tent product, and have these 4 yearly events, I need to look the part too. So time to start training even more, and being better with me diet.

10) Donate at least $10,000

Through our charity, Mudita Adventures, it gives us the chance to give back. We have 2 charity trips planned (and sold out) to Afghanistan in February, and Pakistan in June. We may do a 3rd one in Q4 (we’re in discussions with communities in Mongolia, Bangladesh and East Timor). So let’s see.

THOUGHTS ON MY 2024 PLANS?

9 goals. Last year I hit 4/9 (but to be honest it was kinda 8/9!), this year I’ll try to get 9/9. The first one is in the hands of the Gods, and I’m more emotionally tied to that than anything. I feel ready to build a family. Emotionally, financially, Jaa and I are in a great place. It’s time. Fingers crossed.

The rest of the plans, I’ll keep my head down and work hard. I’m ready.

PAST YEAR’S GOALS AND THEN RECAPS?

If you want to see me layout my plans for my years, and then see if I succeeded or failed that year, you can check them all out here:

• 2023: My 2023 Goals and plans for the year and my 2023 year-end review.
• 2022: My 2022 Goals and Plans for the year and my 2022 year-end review
• 2021: My 2021 Plans from the start of the year and my 2021 Year-end review.
• 2020: My goals and plans for 2020 at the start of 2020 and then at the end of 2020, my 2020 review.
• 2019: My 2019 goals from January 2019, and then my 2019 year review from December 2019.
• 2018: My 2018 goals from January 2018, and then my 2018 review at the end of the year.
• 2017: My 2017 year review.
• 2016: My 2016 plans. And my 2016 year-end in review.
• 2015: My 2015 year in review.