BEFORE YOU DIE
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Three months ago I met a Fat Brain named Ben Nemtin on a shuttle bus heading to Lake Tahoe for a Summit Series gathering. I was pleasantly surprised by a question he asked me only seconds after sitting down beside me and introducing himself.
“So what do you want to do before you die?”
Never a fan of small talk, I smiled at this question and instead of answering, I asked him if he had an idea of what he would like to do in his lifetime.
“Well, I’ve already accomplished 80 of 100 things I want to do before I die,” he answered.
This wasn’t any ordinary fellow sitting next to me. This was a Practical Genius who had created a list of 100 mutual lifelong dreams with a group of friends, including Jonnie Penn, Dave Lingwood, and Duncan Penn. Wanting more of out life than what college was offering them, they hit the road in a rented Winnebago and began crossing items off their list and helping strangers achieve their dreams at the same time.
Their epic six-year adventure eventually landed them a show on MTV and as of today, they have completed 80 items on their list, including playing basketball with President Obama and delivering a baby. Especially exciting is their most recent accomplishment, #19 on their list: “Write a bestselling book.”
What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? published on March 27th by Artisan Books. Ben sent me a copy and I soaked it up in one sitting. It’s vibrant, hyper-visual, and is full of beautiful artwork created by Kevin Brainard. And the best part is instead of just writing about their own accomplishments, which they could easily have done, they included many chosen from tens of thousands of submission answers to the question: “What do you want to before you die?”
I cried when I read this entry: “Before I die I want to let my English teacher know that she saved my life.”
I want to ask you the same question: What do you want to do before you die?
Here’s #1 on my list: Before I die I want to positively impact the lives of a million people.
If many of us have mutual quests, dreams, and aspirations, maybe we can collaborate and accomplish them together.
What’s on your list?
