The Life of a Goal Achiever--John Goddard

A couple of years ago, I came across an article about a gentleman named John Goddard. I was extremely impressed by this man's life and with his philosophy of life. There have been many articles written about him from Life Magazine to Reader's Digest, and currently Mr. Goddard has been featured in over 200 T.V. shows.

John Goddard, at the age of 15, sat down and created a list of 127 goals for his life. His life from that day forward, has been an amazing lifelong quest in achieving each and every one of them. The goals that John Goddard set for himself were not small and meager goals, by any means. His life's journey has included "retracing Marco Polo's route through the Middle East, Asia and China", "reading the Encyclopedia Britannica cover to cover", "climbing Mt. Everest", "explore the longest river in the world"--just to name a couple.

John's foremost goal was to explore the Nile River, the world's longest at 4,220 miles. He felt that the Nile was very important, especially due to its influence on the development of civilization for thousands of years. John Goddard became the first man to explore the total length of the Nile River and he did it on a kayak! During his journey on the Nile he met with thunderstorms, crocodiles, raging rapids and even water pirates. John Goddard successfully overcame each challenge he faced and completed one of his 127 life goals--exploring the Nile River.

John Goddard created his list of life goals in 1940, as a young man of 15. Throughout his life, he refused to give up and consistently strove to achieve all those 127 goals that he had listed. When at the age of 70 he was asked about age, Goddard replied, "age is only important in terms of wine and cheese...The man who taught me to hang glide was 76 at the time". I have often asked myself how long I will be able to continue working, being active and achieving the goals I have set for my life. How will I know when I should stop or if I should? John Goddard did not allow age to hold him back, he just kept charging forward.

I read about Ulrich Inderbinen, who died at the age of 103, and was the world's oldest mountain guide. Ulrich had been a lifelong resident of Zermett, which can be found in the shadow of the Matterhorn. He first began guiding in his 20's, for climbers and later for skiers. It was during the 1930's that Ulrich built his own home and for 70 years did without a car or a telephone. He served on Swiss Ski Patrols during World War II and when necessity required he labored as a carpenter, electrician and lumberjack. He was later able to support his family solely on being a guide. When Ulrich's time came, he left his life's work much the way he had climbed...one step at a time. Ulrich made his last climb shortly before his 90th birthday, the last of over 370 climbs up the Matterhorn. He later gave up guiding skiers at age 95, and mountain guiding at age 97. It is reported that he quit guiding when he realized "that he had taken 10 minutes longer than it should have" to descend a 13,600ft peak near his home. Ulrich lived for another 6 years afterwards.

John Goddard and Ulrich Inderbien both demonstrate that age is only a number. I'm sure each of these gentlemen would tell us to "wear out...not rust out", keep pressing on and never give up.

I'm including the list of goals that John Goddard created at age 15, so that you can see how "great" these goals truly are. The ones that have been completed are identified. Until next time...may the life of John Goddard encourage us---to be goal setters and "goal achievers".

John Goddard's "Life List"

EXPLORE
No.	Achieved	Goals	Comments
1		Nile River
2		Amazon River
3		Congo River
4		Colorado River
5		Yangtze River, China
6		Niger River
7		Orinoco River, Venezuela
8		Rio Coco, Nicaragua
STUDY PRIMITIVE
9		The Congo
10		New Guinea
11		Brazil
12		Borneo
13		The Sudan
14		Australia
15		Kenya
16		The Philippines
17		Tanzania
18		Ethiopia
19		Nigeria
20		Alaska
CLIMB
21		Mt. Everest
22		Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina
23		Mt. McKinley
24		Mt. Huascaran, Peru
25		Mt. Kilimanjaro
26		Mt. Ararat, Turkey
27		Mt. Kenya
28		Mt. Cook, New Zealand
29		Mt. Popocatepetl, Mexico
30		The Matterhorn
31		Mt. Rainier
32		Mt. Fuji
33		Mt. Vesuvius
34		Mt. Bromo, Java
35		Grand Tetons
36		Mt. Baldy, California
37		Carry out careers in medicine and exploration	(studied premed, treats illnesses among primitive tribes)
38		Visit every country in the world	(30 to go)
39		Study Navaho and Hopi Indians
40		Learn to fly a plane
41		Ride horse in Rose Parade
PHOTOGRAPH
42		Iguacu Falls, Brazil
43		Victoria Falls, Rhodesia	(Chased by a warthog in the process)
44		Sutherland Falls, New Zealand
45		Yosemite Falls
46		Niagara Falls
47		Retrace travels of Marco Polo and Alexander the Great
EXPLORE UNDERWATER
48		Coral reefs of Florida
49		Great Barrier Reef, Australia	(photographed a 300-pound clam)
50		Red Sea
51		Fiji Islands
52		The Bahamas
53		Explore Okefenokee Swamp and the Everglades
VISIT
54		North and South Poles
55		Great Wall of China
56		Panama and Suez Canals
57		Easter Island
58		The Galapagos Islands
59		Vatican City
60		The Taj Mahal
61		The Eiffel Tower
62		The Blue Grotto
63		The Tower of London
64		The Leaning Tower of Pisa
65		The Sacred Well of Chichen-Itza, Mexico
66		Climb Ayers Rock in Australia
67		Follow River Jordan from Sea of Galilee to Dead Sea
SWIM IN
68		Lake Victoria
69		Lake Superior
70		Lake Tanganyika
71		Lake Titicaca, S. America
72		Lake Nicaragua
ACCOMPLISH
73		Become an Eagle Scout
74		Dive in a submarine
75		Land on and take off from an aircraft carrier
76		Fly in a blimp, balloon and glider
77		Ride an elephant, camel, ostrich and bronco
78		Skin dive to 40 feet and hold breath two and a half minutes underwater
79		Catch a ten-pound lobster and a ten-inch abalone
80		Play flute and violin
81		Type 50 words a minute
82		Make a parachute jump
83		Learn water and snow skiing
84		Go on a church mission
85		Follow the John Muir trail
86		Study native medicines and bring back useful ones
87		Bag camera trophies of elephant, lion, rhino, cheetah, cape buffalo and whale
88		Learn to fence
89		Learn jujitsu
90		Teach a college course
91		Watch a cremation ceremony in Bali
92		Explore depths of the sea
93		Appear in a Tarzan movie
94		Own a horse, chimpanzee, cheetah, ocelot, and coyote	(yet to own a chimp or cheetah)
95		Become a ham radio operator
96		Build own telescope
97		Write a book	(About his Nile trip)
98		Publish an article in National Geographic Magazine
99		High jump five feet
100		Broad jump 15 feet
101		Run mile in five minutes
102		Weigh 175 pounds stripped	(he still does)
103		Perform 200 sit-ups and 20 pull-ups
104		Learn French, Spanish and Arabic
105		Study dragon lizards on Komodo Island	(Boat broke down within 20 miles of island)
106		Visit birthplace of Grandfather Sorenson in Denmark
107		Visit birthplace of Grandfather Goddard in England
108		Ship aboard a freighter as a seaman
109		Read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica	(Has read extensive parts in each volume)
110		Read the Bible from cover to cover
111		Read the works of Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, Dickens, Thoreau, Rousseau, Conrad, Hemingway, Twain, Burroughs, Talmage, Tolstoi, Longfellow, Keats, Poe, Bacon, Whittier, and Emerson	(not every work of each)
112		Become familiar with the compositions of Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Ibert, Mendelssohn, Lalo, Liszt, Rimski-Korsakov, Respighi, Rachmaninoff, Paganini, Stravinsky, Toch, Tschaikosvsky, Verdi
113		Become proficient in the use of a plane, motorcycle, tractor, surfboard, rifle, pistol, canoe, microscope, football, basketball, bow and arrow, lariat and boomerang
114		Compose music
115		Play Clair de Lune on the piano
116		Watch fire-walking ceremony	(In Bali and Surinam)
117		Milk a poisonous snake	(bitten by diamondback during photo session)
118		Light a match with .22 rifle
119		Visit a movie studio
120		Climb Cheops' pyramid
121		Become a member of the Explorer's Club and the Adventure's Club
122		Learn to play polo
123		Travel through the Grand Canyon on foot and by boat
124		Circumnavigate the globe	(four times)
125		Visit the moon	("Someday, if God wills")
126		Marry and have children	(has six children)
127		Live to see the 21st century

The Word and Who I Am

When you read the Bible, do you ever wonder how the stories between its pages really apply to your life? How they are relevant to the circumstances or situations that you may be facing? I know that I have often heard the Bible called "just a book full of stories", "myths" and so on, but in truth the Word is much more than just a book of stories. It is our our manual, the manual, for living a life of success.

If there is an experience in life--the Bible is your road map and guide through it. It is more than just words in ink, placed on paper for us to read. Within its pages, flowing from Genesis through The Revelation, you will find the answers to every problem, challenge and circumstance that you will face. As you read the Word, meditating and digesting it, you will find that it will also begin to shape your "image". It is God's desire for us to live and function on Earth as He does in Heaven. The bible will provide you with the image of the living God, His character and His nature. The more that you read the Word, and meditate upon it, the more it will influence how you see yourself and the outcome of your life. Being able to know who you are "from the Word" and then taking action on what you learn, allows you to conform more and more to the image of God. In the book of James, 1:23-24, we are told about the person who reads the Word, but doesn't let it move him to take any action. It says, "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." There is no doubt, as we look into God's Word that we will discover who we truly are. If we allow the Word to speak to us, and meditate upon it, we will come to know our true identity.

In our lives, when challenges and circumstances come, we shouldn't bow down and submit to them believing things have to remain that way. It is during those tough times that we need to go to the Word and seek out how God wants us to respond. Pray, asking God to lead you into an understanding of the Word, so that you can understand how to apply it to what's going on in your life. Use the Word. Just remember, there were many people in the Bible who found themselves experiencing the same emotions, thoughts and circumstances that people are facing today. One of my favorite men from the Bible is David. David had a tremendous destiny before him, but just think of the trials, situations and circumstances he faced on the way to his destiny. In Psalms we hear David crying, pleading, praising and worshiping, finding himself in the lowest valleys and on the highest mountains. He experienced so much of what many people are facing today in their own lives. Yet, David declared in Psalm 119:105:

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

David knew that the Word would provide the guidance that he needed. That it would reveal who he really was and provide the strength to choose the right paths. It is no different for us today, the Word will still reveal our true self, while providing the strength and light we need. David could have allowed the circumstances of his life to stop him, prevent him from fulfilling his destiny...but, David understood who he was and David knew his God. We need to let the Word shape us, form us...molding our identity. Each day, we can face life and what it throws at us...because we will know who we are and we will know our God. Until the next time.

Here's A Miracle

"I'm amazed that I'm standing here today, after all the trials that have come my way
Through it all The Lord has been so good to me
Now here I stand for all the world to see.

Here's a miracle right before your eyes
I was down so low, I thought that I'd never rise
But here's a miracle right before your eyes".

If it were not for God, where would I be. Just as the words of this song...in my life, I have been down so low, that I thought I'd never rise. There have been times I fought just to see the next day, struggling just to hang on. I've been in some pretty low places and known my share of pain...but, I'm still standing, a miracle for all the world to see. Thank God...for His grace and His mercy, but most of all--for His love.

America and Freedom

I never really believed that in my lifetime that I would see our country in the state it is today. It seems that it continues to spiral toward socialism at a maddening speed, while so many simply stand by. I suppose, naively, I have clung to the belief that when it really came down to it, America would stand up. In fact, I have based my life and my family's life on that very belief. I can't accept that my fellow citizens will allow the destruction of our history, the betrayal of all our sacrifices in war and just stand by as we continue to speed toward socialism.

The reality is that you and I have allowed ourselves to be worn down for a final assault, a battle that has been raging for a while now. Our national moral has been beaten down to an all time low, while our colleges continue to drive "morality" from our youth as they teach right is wrong and wrong is right. The mindset that so many of our citizens have now adopted. It will only be by an enraged and unrelenting "people" that our fate may be changed. It will be those of us who have felt the pain of loss imposed on us by a president who is ready to take our freedoms. It will be us who choose to fight back with a strength unexpected, who will give our all in this ultimate fight for our freedom. It will be us, a people who refuse to simply roll over and give in, but instead who will rise and stand for what we believe.

The reality today is we will either survive as a free people, or perish defeated. The stakes are extremely high for all of us who are lovers of our country. I refuse to live as a slave, that just isn't an option for me. Obama surely seeks to lead our country to that state where we all will be slaves in his communist America. I pray that our country will survive and emerge in victory, free and strong. I do know that it will only be by God's grace and those of us who will continue to stand for freedom, that there is any hope. We must resist this administration's bullying and refuse to quit. How long will American patriots just stand by? We see corrupt officials demand that we pay our taxes, who have been placed in cabinet positions "having not even paid their own taxes". Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama...have we ever experienced such disgrace in our history as a country.

It has taken a long time, in fact hundreds of years now, but it seems our country continues its slide toward socialism. Patriots, constitutionalists, anti-abortionists, militia supporters, UN haters, gun rights activists are all now found on the lists for government action and many of us believe that "action" is now pending. We as a country have seen millions lose their retirement plans and savings, which were meant to provide peace of mind for those who had "worked" to provide for themselves. Who had "worked". Today, there are millions who have done nothing and yet reap the benefits being tossed out by Obama and his cohorts in government. It is time we draw the line in the sand, and clearly, openly identify the enemy. It is past time...and instead of standing by, waiting, we need to plainly point out the enemies we are facing. There are cities around our country who style themselves as "sanctuary cities", for illegal aliens. Politicians such as Jesse Jackson excuse these cities and turn their heads. We must face the issue of illegal immigration immediately and take control of our borders, if our country is to survive. Period. We must wage a war against the onslaught of illegal aliens that come to our country to violently take property, jobs, benefits and the possessions of the American people. I reject, as our nation must, the acceptance of sodomy, gay rights, gay marriage and gay acceptance of any type. We must identify and pursue at all costs maniacs who murder and molest our children, deal drugs, and provide for the pornography trade. There should be no safe place in our communities, and most certainly not under protection of the law, for any of them.

We have reached a time in our country, when we who still love freedom, join with one another to defend our great nation. A force that will refuse to give one inch to the invaders and those who have sold us out. The time is at hand, and the battle wages for the future of America. On which side will you be found? On bended knees, seeking God's guidance and for strength, I will continue to stand for the freedoms our forefathers have fought and died for. I will never disgrace the graves of our fallen by giving up. Their sacrifice will not be in vain, for our country has been bought by their blood and lives. The time is at hand...where will you stand.