Skip to content

Impossible list

Most people would have a list of things they want to get done by college graduation, after tying the knot, or by age 70. Some don’t even have it written down on paper. For them, it’s just a vague, elusive idea. Others would feel ashamed if they go to the grave without getting around them. We, however, have an impossible list.

To be honest, we were not being purposeful with our goals until about 5 years ago. I was too occupied with many responsibilities demanding my full attention. This is not unique to us. You might be in a similar situation and can’t even see yourself materializing some of those goals.

We live in the age of the 40+ hour grind, unforgiving debts, and responsibilities. We drown in things that demand our attention and energy. Be it our nagging kids, sick relatives, a bookshelf full of books to read, or that new show on Netflix we can’t wait to binge. We have a hard time managing what we should focus on and what we should remove from our life.

Pro-tip, delete your Facebook account. It’s a terrible company run by people out of touch with the struggles and challenges the world faces.

So, to assist the efforts of consistency and provide a source of accountability. We have created this Impossible List.

Impossible list

What is an Impossible List, you ask? Well, the Impossible List is the brainchild of Joel Runyon on the world’s first Impossible List. We found out about it on Thomas Frank’s College Info Geek website and his list. 

Check out his site, good stuff.

Essentially, an Impossible List contains goals that compound on each other. Keeping you motivated and in an endless pursuit of growth.

Now, you could say. “Isn’t that supposed to be a Bucket List?” Well, no. Joel Runyon did a great job explaining why that is not the case here.

Although this might seem like something that should be personal, we want to keep this list here. We will do our best to keep it updated.

As we work on ourselves, we want others to witness our progress and take part too. Hopefully, we can motivate them to do more for themselves.

Feel free to copy our list and do what you want with it. We will be emulating Thomas’s list because it has a well-thought-out structure and is simple to follow.

The items on top are mine, and the ones below are Wendy’s.

Last 5 accomplishments:

  • Start a podcast.
  • Mentor 3 people professionally.
  • Have my own company.
  • Run a 10k.
  • Learn how to play one song on the piano.


  • Help 10 student realize their passions and potential.
  • Participate in an event that promotes gender equality by supporting female entrepreneurs.
  • Start a podcast and/or blog that values authenticity and shares our self-development journeys.
  • Research how to build a successful blog.
  • Learn Lightroom and Photoshop basics.

Life goals:

  • Participate in a fund raising activity.
  • Retire in my 40’s.
  • Celebrate 10 years of love with my wonderful wife.
  • Meet Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson.
  • Play a game with the Game Grumps.
  • Move to Tokyo. (Nov 2015)
    • Move to the US.
  • Establish my own company. (May 2018)
    • Be location independent. (May 2018)
    • Be self sufficient.
  • Have our marriage ceremony on the beach.
  • Skydive.
  • Climb a mountain.
  • Bike across Japan.
  • Be on TV.
  • Read 100 books. (More info on the Bookshelf)
  • Motivate 1 person to make a life changing decision.


  • Support 10 families with children through speech therapy and volunteering. (2015)
  • Create a life in Tokyo. (2017)
  • Immerse myself in a foreign language. (2017)
  • Help 10 student realize their passions and potential. (2018)
  • Commit to therapy for 6 months. (2019)
  • Read one book a month.
  • Maintain a positive, bubbly personality for a month.
  • Give myself daily positive feedback for a month.
  • Volunteer 5 times in 2020.
  • Participate in an event that promotes gender equality by supporting female entrepreneurs. (2019)
    • Produce my own event to support female entrepreneurs.
  • Create a journal of thoughts and experiences.
  • Become a minimalist. (Oct 2019)Donate clothes every 6 months.
  • Make connections (and an income) by caring for pets.
  • Not use plastic bags or bottles for a month.
  • Attend an Ellen DeGeneres show.
  • Marry Juan.
  • Make a home where we can be close to both of our families.
  • Become a dog mom.
  • Have a family.
  • Retire near the beach.

Fitness and health goals:

  • Run a 5k. (Apr 2016)
    • In less than 25 minutes.
  • Run a 10k. (Jun 2016)
    • In less than 50 minutes.
  • Run a mile in less than 6 minutes.
  • Cycle 10 miles in a day.
  • Climb a 15 foot rope.
  • Participate on a triathlon.
  • Do 100 push ups in a single set.
  • Do 30 pull ups in a single set.


  • Be more mindful of my eating/snacking habits for a month.
  • Count 3 blessings instead of 3 problems through journaling 3x/week.
  • Say or write 3 positive daily affirmations to myself for a month.
  • Have my own gym at home.
  • Climb Mt. Fuji.
  • Cycle long distance in a foreign country.
  • Complete MURDER the Bisbee 1000 stair climb.

Professional goals:

  • Get 1,000 blog visits.
  • Grow our newsletter to 100 subscribers.
  • Write 15,000 words in a month.
  • Start a YouTube channel.
  • Mentor 1 person professionally. (Jan 2020)
    • 3 people (Jun 2020)
    • 10 people
  • Start a podcast. (Feb 2020)
    • Get 100 subscribers
  • Self publish a book.
  • Write a traditionally published book.
  • Grow our website into a ethical source of income.
  • Speak at a venue for more than 100 people.
  • Give a TEDx talk.
  • Give a talk about motivation and self development.


  • Work for myself and decide when and where I work.
  • Reach out to a global audience and connect with 100 followers via email and SNS.
  • Meet one blog reader in person.
  • Write two blog posts each month for 3 months.
  • Start a podcast and/or blog that values authenticity and shares our self-development journeys. (Feb 2020)
    • Grow the audience to 100 listeners.

Skill goals:

  • Become fluent in a third language.
  • Become competent in snowboarding.
  • Disassemble and reassemble an ICE.
  • Become competent in bouldering.
  • Become competent in surfing.


  • Research how to build a successful blog. (Nov 2019)
    • Research how to make a successful podcast.
  • Learn to read music again.
  • Learn how to grow my own veggies.
  • Become more confident in public speaking.
  • Become conversational in Spanish.
  • Learn how to dance hip-hop.

Travel goals:

  • Explore Australia.
  • Visit Vancouver.
  • Drink in Europe.
  • Visit Africa.
  • Traverse South America.
  • Eat in China.
  • Visit the Middle East.
  • Reach Antarctica.


  • Visit Juan’s family and swim in the aquamarine ocean in the area.
  • Visit my birthplace and orphanage.
  • Take my parents on an Alaskan cruise.
  • Attend an Indian wedding in India.
  • Camp under the Northern Lights.
  • Visit and donate to an elephant sanctuary in Africa and/or Thailand.
  • Participate in Mardis Gras in New Orleans.
  • Take a gondola ride through the winding canals of Venice.
  • See the pyramids in Cairo.
  • Ride through the sand dunes in Dubai.

Creative goals:

  • Learn how to play one song on the piano. (May 2020)
    • 3 songs
  • Learn how to play the guitar.


  • Have my own art studio.
  • Design and print my own greeting cards.
  • Put together a photography portfolio.
  • Design my own clothes.
  • Learn Lightroom and Photoshop basics. (Apr 2020)
    • Master Lightroom.
  • Become confident in basic graphic design.