Make My 40s My Best Decade Every: Year 2 Update

Two years ago when I turned 40 I set out some ambitious goals for the next 10 years.

The highlight was the line:

I want to make my 40s my best decade of my life (so far).

No pressure right. 😂

In the first 3 months of my 40s I tore my ACL, had surgery, had to let someone go from the Hardcover team and our 14-year old dog passed away.

It was a rough start.

Fortunately things have improved since then. I’ve tried to concentrate on not stressing myself out with additional pressure. I tend to put the most pressure on myself, and by it’s been amazing just dialing that down a little bit and noticing that I’m happier and less stressed.

I’ve also started drinking a lot less. Probably down from 8 drinks a week to more like 2-3. This was a result of two changes: not drinking at home and only having one drink when I’m out with friends or on a date with my wife.

By the time I’m 41…

Here are some of the goals I set out for my first year.

✅ I want to be able to hike the mountains of Utah (again)

After months of physical therapy after my ACL tear & surgery, I eventually recovered enough to hike again! In year 1 I didn’t hike all that much. One hike I did complete was Black Mountain – a 10 mile hike to the highest mountian we can view from our apartment window.

I attempted this same hike a few years ago in May, but there was too much ice in the scrambling part to complete it at that time. Doing it in July, on the 1-year anniversary of my ACL surgery, felt cathartic. Like I was finishing a book I’d left 95% completed.

✅ I want to get back to the point where I’m physically fit

“Fit” can mean a lot of things. My intention when I wrote this was that I wouldn’t want to use my knee as an excuse for not doing something. I’m not sure if I reached this in year one, but I’ve for sure reached it now. I’ve been skiing again, stood for hours at music festivals and concerts, run long distances (well, 10k 😅), and overall just haven’t worried about not being able to do something.:

❌ I want to grow Hardcover to pay for my food & housing

This one was always going to be a long shot. Hardcover did grow to over $1k in revenue per month, but our costs have grown too. We’re very close to breaking even. With over 1,600 users active each week, it’s a very lively place! We have some plans to increase revenue that we’re working on for this year.

By the time I’m 45…

I also set a few longer term goals.

🔜 I want to learn how to build mobile apps

Earlier this year I spent some time learning SwitftUI. Alongside a group of random people from Discord, we launched SpaceTube, YouTube for Spatial videos on the Apple Vision Pro. It was a fun, quick project.

However I wouldn’t say I learned how to build mobile apps as part of this.

I did learn that perhaps SwiftUI isn’t the path I want to go. Instead I’ve started learning React Native instead. I’m already comfortable with React, and it works on both Android and iOS. It’s likely we’ll move Hardcover to React Native someday – but I have a lot to learn first.

My hope right now is to switch Line of Thought from a web app to a mobile-only app using React Native and HealthKit. I have such a clear idea of the app I want to build – I just need to build it! 😅

❓ I want to go on a 6-week (or longer) international trip

This is a tricky one logistically. We’re planning to adopt a dog later this year. I wouldn’t want to leave our new family member alone, or with a stranger for that long a period of time. I’m unsure how this will work into actual plans.

We did spend two weeks in Korea in April 2024 which was amazing though! It reminded me how much I love being in a new city, eating new food and having new experiences every day.

Where would I/we go? I’m not sure. I’d love to spend more time in Japan. I could see many parts of Asia being amazing for an extended trip. I’ll keep thinking about this one for now.

Or maybe we’ll just decide to leave the US altogether based on the next election. 🤷

🔜 I want to grow Hardcover into a successful business

We’re making good progress on this. If Hardcover continues to grow 10x a year then I feel like this is only a matter of time. If our momentum slows down we may have to change course, but we’re not there yet.

For now it’s more about continuing to do what we’re doing! Listen to users and build what they want. Get the word out to more people. Find new people to work with. Repeat.

By the time I’m 50…

These were long-term when I set them. I have 8 years left. 😂

❓ I want to give away $1 million

This is dependent on Hardcover (or another business) generating revenue. There’s only so much money anyone needs, and it’s not as much as most people think.

🔜 I want to visit all 50 states by the time I’m 50!

This is only three trips away:

Take an Alaskan Cruise. We have a bunch of friends in Seattle that might be up for this one too.
Take a trip to Hawaii. With the fire and deluge of tourism lately, it feels like going there would be adding to the problem locals face rather than helping. I’d still like to go – and not stay in an Airbnb).
Take a road trip to the midwest. All the states in the US I haven’t been to are all grouped together (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska). We have some friends that moved to the Chicago area it’d be fun to road trip out to.

❓ I want to figure out where to live long-term

Every year when our lease is up in our apartment we have the same discussions about where we should move. For the last year years we’ve been very happy here in SLC. The longer we stay here the more we love it!

To stay anywhere long-term we do like the idea of buying a house. What we could afford today would be a major step down from our apartment. That’s led us to be happy where we are.

If Hardcover ends up growing and providing some income, then I could see us having the ability to make a buying decision here. Until then, and until we know what direction our country is headed in, we’ll wait and see.

✅ I want to fitness to be on autopilot

I’m surprised to say I can actually check this one off already! Well, it’s not solved for good. Every plan needs to adapt to whatever life throws at it.

For now, my fitness plan includes:

Go to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Peloton or run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Take Sundays off.

Fitness-wise I’m happy when where I’m at. I could walk a bit more, but that’s really it.

The hardest part was changing my morning schedule. Previous I’d sleep in as late as I wanted, then get up and have breakfast with my wife every day. In April I started workout out with an online personal trainer and waking up early for a morning workout 3x a week. Most days I end up waking up before my alarm and looking forward to going to the gym! It’s a chance to listen to audio books and wake myself up for the day.