My Lifetime Goals and Thromes 
As a child, I grew up extremely shy and afraid of everything. I was always picked on by the bigger kids in my neighborhood and school. I was so scared, that when I had to stand up in front of my class to read a story or give a speech, my hands would shake so badly that the papers would shake and I couldn't read what was written. When I was confronted with challenges, my mantra was always, "I can't, I can't... I CAN'T!..." When the going got tough, I would quit.It was only due to the encouragement and gentle nurturing of my parents, family, grandparents, pastor, scoutmaster, and other rolemodels (quotes), that I learned I did not always have to be a quitter and a failure. In High School, as I gave my life over to God, I learned that I could do ALL things through Him, if I just trusted Him. After I gave my life over to Him, my life changed dramatically.
During an 8 month mission trip to India in 1978, my friend Greg Ormson encouraged me to make up a list of "thromes" or major life goals to shoot for in life. Little did I know how much that challenge would affect my life.
I started out dreaming and compiling a list of 10 things I would like to accomplish in my life. Over time, that list has grown and evolved. Now it seems that every time I check something off my list, I find that I am adding several more new goals onto my list that I want to see or experience in the future.
Did I make this list to compare myself to others or impress others? No, not at all - I know what a loser I was! I made this list for me so I can challenge myself to do things I had never done before, and so I could look back and remind myself of where God has taken me from the scared loser I was. I am still just an average guy who makes lots of mistakes. But along the way, I have learned that if somebody else can do something, then so can I, as long as it is in God's will, and He gives me the strength to do it.
Do I always succeed in everything I set out to do? NO, of course not! But if I shoot for 100 goals and only accomplish 10 or 20 of them, at least those are 10 or 20 things I would never have done before, and the experience and confidence I have gained has helped me go on to take on other challenges. Now I find myself LOOKING for new challenges and ways of "expanding my envelope"!
Since creating the original list, my life has changed dramatically and God has taken me on so many incredible adventures through many more lifetimes of experiences than anyone deserves. Now every time I visit a new country or experience a new adventure, I realize that there are so many other new horizons, borders to cross, mountains to climb, places to explore, cultures to soak up, and people to meet, many who have seen and done much more than I have. It is at these times that I realize how very small I am in this huge and incredibly wonderful world, and I am challenged with even more new challenges, new borders, new friends to meet, new horizons to explore...
Below is the original list of top 10 goals and thromes I made at the age of 20, as well as the current list that it has grown into. This list is constantly changing (check back often), but it is living proof that if other people can do these things, then I can do them too, and so can YOU!
Where do you want to go in the world? What would you like to do if you could? Have you made your list of thromes, your goals and dreams? If not, what's stopping you? Don't say "I CAN'T..." You CAN! Go ahead and dream, give your life and dreams to God, and then just go out and DO IT! Where there's a will, there's a way!
"I CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me"
--Phil 1:21
GuitarBaby Grand PianoBassBlues Harp5-String Banjo (built one)5-String Fiddle (built one)MandolinAppalachian Dulcimer (built two)Hammered DulcimerPenny Whistle (have several)Bagpipes (have Kitchen pipes, studying with Nashville Pipe & Drums)Celtic Harp (built one)Concert Harp (played with Symphony)Bowed Psaltery13-Course Lute (built one)Sitar (India) (own two)Bul-Bul Tara (India)Gluntang (Indonesia)Charango (Andes) (have 2 which I play with Andean Pan flute band)Zampoña Pan Flute (Andes)Rain Stick (Amazon)Steel Drums (Caribbean) (Full set from Trinidad)Bamboo Goatskin drum (Jamaica)Wooden Gato drum (built one)African Thumb Piano Kalimba (built one)Australian Aboriginal Dijeradoo (bought one)Native American Indian Cedar Flute
Nyckelharpa (Swedish Key Harpa)
TurtlesGoldfish, Tropical Fish, Seahorses, Eels, SharksChameleonsRabbits (several as a kid)Ducks (as a kid)Raccoons (several as a teenager - "Tornado", "Chief", "Ms. Chief")Skunk ("Spunky" 1981-1983)Ferret ("Qwaba Kitty" 1981-1983)Husky/Wolf ("Nikiya" 1981-1983)Mitred Conure (my first parrot, "Cap'n Kidd")Dusky ConureBudgerigars ("Felix" and "Petitsa", Russian for "bird")Cockatiels ("Angel")Yellow Collared Dwarf Macaw ("Gandolf")Blue and Gold Macaw ("Eiki")Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot ("KiraKira")Congo African Grey Parrot ("Jambo Kasuku")West African Senegal Parrot ("Herbie")ToucanHummingbird ("Ruby")Swedish Magpie ("Skata" Pica Pica)Icelandic Raven ("Hrafn" "Korpen" Corvus Corax)Hawk (rehabbed one; studying to become certified falconer)Screech Owl ("Otus Asio" - studying to become certified falconer)Falcon or EaglePeacocks (Had 5 in Bahamas)Muted SwansEmus (Emmett, Elvis & Elvira)RheaOstrichFennec Foxes (Got "Phoenix" and "Sahara" in July 2000)Kinkajous ("Osito" and "Miela")Coatimundi (fell in love with one in Amazon village!)Ringtailed cat or Cacomistle (researching now)Zorilla (researching now)Cuscus (researching now)Sugar Gliders ("Papua" and "Guinea")Flying SquirrelSiberian ChipmunkSiberian Dwarf Hamsters (about 20 of 'em!)IguanaChinchillaAfrican Pygmy HedgehogArmadillo ("Armin")
African ServalSiberian LynxWallaby ("Wally")KangarooAngora RamJacob's Four-Horned SheepIcelandic Sheep or GoatsIcelandic HorseArabian Horse ("Tatanka")ZebraZorseZebu CowLlama ("Oscar Farinango", our first llama cria!)Alpaca ("Al")Dromedary CamelYakAmerican BisonReindeerFallow DeerMuntjack DeerDevelop an Exotic Animal Rescue Sanctuary (designing it now!)
Sports
Camping/HikingCanoeingSailingWindsurfingWater skiingSnow skiingScuba diving (Bahamas)Spearfishing (Bahamas)FlyfishingWhitewater raftingKayakingHorseback ridingSpelunking - caving - Tennessee, Kentucky, Sweden)Rock Climbing and rapellingParachuting (Indiana)Fencing (Indiana State University) Juggling (Music City Juggler's Club)Kicking Footbag (everywhere I go!)Body-building (just kidding! :) English (got a pretty good grasp of it!) German 
Norwegian Swedish Skånska Danish Icelandic Old Norse 
Viking Runic 
Dutch (studying tapes) Afrikaans (studying tapes) Swahili (studying tapes and practicing with Lost Boys) Dinka Bor (studying dictionaries and practicing with Lost Boys) Tok Pisin (Pidgin of Papua New Guinea) Quechua (Inca - from Ecuadorian friends) Spanish (take classes and study tapes) Italian French (only 1 semester!) Tamil (Tamil Nadu, South India) 
Telegu (Andra Pradesh, India) Hindi (North India) 
Urdu (North India/Pakistan) 
Farsi (Persian of Iran - currently taking classes) Arabic (studying tapes and learning alphabet) Hebrew (have tapes) 
Japanese (crash course) Chinese (pick up words at Chinese restaurants!) Korean (learning from my dry cleaners) Russian 
Lakota Sioux Amslan (Sign Language) 
HTML (HyperText
Markup Language - You're reading it now!) JavaScript (working on it!) Comparative Language Database
North America
United States
(have visited 42 states - 9 left)
Canada
Caribbean
Bahamas (lived on 2 islands intermittently for 7 years)HaitiJamaicaPuerto RicoVirgin IslandsCayman IslandsDominican RepublicSt. Bart's
Central America
Yucatan Peninsula,
MexicoGuatemalaHondurasPanamaCosta Rica South America
EcuadorPeruBoliviaBrazilArgentina
North Atlantic
IcelandGreenlandVinlandShetland IslandsFaroe IslandsHebrides IslandsOrkney Islands
Scandinavia
SwedenSkåneDenmarkNorwayLapplandFinlandIceland Europe
EnglandIrelandScotlandWalesGermanyFranceNetherlandsBelgiumLuxembourgLiechtensteinAustriaSwitzerlandPrussiaCzech RepublicBohemia
Mediterranean
French RivieraItalySpainGreeceTurkey Russia
Africa
KenyaSudanTanzaniaSouth AfricaTimbuktuEgypt
Middle East
TurkeyMorrocoEgypt (pyramids)Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesJordan (Petra)Israel (Jerusalem)
Asia
IndiaSri LankaNepalTibetChinaMalaysiaSingapore (where my brother lived for 4 years)JapanSouth Korea South Pacific
HawaiiFijiTahitiPitcairns IslandBora BoraAustraliaNew ZealandTasmaniaNew Guinea (where my mom was born - the ultimate adventure!)
Visit, Dive in, Sail on, Climb, Explore
Visit the 7 Wonders of the World:
Occupations
Work Overseas (India, Bahamas, and Sweden, England)Missionary (India)Life Guard (Bahamas)Musician (cruise ship in Bahamas)Circus Clown (Hoxie Brothers, Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers)Fire-eater/Fire-breather
(music videos and special events)Juggler (circus,
TV, music videos and special events)Sword Swallower (after practicing for 3 years, I finally did it 3/12/01!)Stilt-walker (parades and other special events)Work on a ship (S.S Emerald Seas in the Bahamas)Pirate (Bahamas)Scuba Instructor (Bahamas)Asst. Horse Wrangler (Illinois, Alabama)Recording Studio Engineer (Pinebrook Studios, IN, and Nashville, TN)Studio Musician (Pinebrook Studios, IN, and Nashville, TN)Record Producer (Pinebrook Studios, IN, and Nashville, TN)Own Publishing Company ("DanSongs Music", Nashville, and "SkanSång Musik", Stockholm)President of Record Company (TriEngel Records International, Internet)College teacher (Indiana State University and Anderson University)Published author ("Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects" published in Dec 2006 British Medical Journal) (working on article and 2 books)Do, Learn, Accomplish
Become an Eagle Scout (received "Pro Deo Et Patria" award)Live on a deserted island (Bahamas)Live in a teepeeLive in a thatched hut in the jungle (Bahamas, Yucatan, Amazon Rainforest)Work on a ship in the ocean (Bahamas)Learn to ride Arabian horses on a Dude Ranch (Hat Ranch, AZ)Take horseback riding lessons in reining (Hat Ranch, AZ)Show horses at a horse showLearn to juggle 3 ballsLearn to juggle 4 ballsLearn to juggle 5 balls (working on it now)Learn to juggle clubs and fire torchesLearn to pass 6 clubs with a partner (1362k Juggling.avi Movie)Learn to pass 7 clubs with a partnerLearn to pass 8 clubs with a partnerLearn to pass 9 clubs with a partnerLearn to pass 9 clubs with 2 partnersLearn to pass 10 clubs with 2 partnersLearn to pass 11 clubs with 2 partnersLearn to walk on tall stiltsLearn to pass juggling clubs while walking on tall stiltsLearn to eat fireLearn to breathe fire (Gotland, Sweden)Learn to ride unicycle (college)Work as a circus clown (Hoxie Bros, Clyde Beatty Cole Bros)Learn how to be a Human BlockheadLearn to swallow swords (after working on it for 3 years, finally did it 3/12/01!)Get a Guinness World Record in Sword Swallowing (did it Aug 20, 2002, broke it Sept 2, 2005)Swallow 8 swords at once! (swallowed 7 on 9/2/05 and 8 on 1/1/06!)Swallow a sword UNDERWATER in a tank of sharks and sting rays (DID it 5/18/07!)Perform at Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Myrtle Beach, SC / Times Square, NY)Perform with one of the last sideshows (John Strong Sideshows)Perform with a Christian CircusPerform at Myrtle Beach Bike Week (300,000 Bikers!)Open and perform with major country artists (Brooks & Dunn, Dwight Yoakum, Cletus T. Judd, Rascal Flatts, Trick Pony, Natchez Trace)Open and perform with Christian artists (Ceili Rain)Open and perform with Christian artists (Kutless, Hawk Nelson, Toby Mac, Casting Crowns, etc.)Perform at Colleges and Universites around the worldVanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt Medical Center, Juggleville)David Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN (Impact Youth Convention)MTSU, Murfreesboro, TNBelmont University, Nashville, TNHarvard University, Cambridge, MA (Ig Nobel Awards ceremony)MIT, Cambridge, MAOxford University, UKCambridge University, UKTrinity College, Dublin, IrelandKarolinska Institut, Stockholm, SwedenWaldorf College, Forest City, IAWartburg College, Waverly, IAValparaiso University, Valparaiso, INConcordia UniversityLiberty University, Lynchburg, VAPerform on:CNN Headline News (with Jeanne Moos)CNN Health (with Sanjay Gupta)ESPN (First Take)MTV LiveMSNBC (Keith Oberman Countdown)Discovery ChannelDiscovery TimesDiscovery HealthDiscovery InternationalDiscovery Channel CanadaThe Learning ChannelThe Travel ChannelThe History ChannelNational Geographic DocumentaryAnimal PlanetThe Documentary ChannelThe Food Network ("Unwrapped")USA NetworkArmed Forces NetworkUnivisionTelemundoSuperstation WGNFox & FriendsMancow Morning ShowBBC - British Broadcasting CorporationCBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ("As It Happens")NPR - National Public RadioBob and Tom ShowPaul HarveyTonight Show with Jay LenoLate Night with David LettermanJimmy Kimmel LiveEllen DegeneresRegis and Kelly LiveOprahXLTV - Xtreme Life TV (in the works)JCTVTBNCBN 700 ClubInspiration PTL ClubDaystarSteel RootsShocked and Amazed TVTennessee CrossroadsAbsolutely AlabamaUSA TodayNewsweekPeople MagazineNational GeographicForbes MagazineScientific AmericanAmusement BusinessWomen and Horses MagazineChristian ActivitiesMeeting Planners MagazineNADA Auto Exec MagazineRoad King MagazineNew York PostNew York TimesLondon Times (UK)Irish Times (Ireland)The Guardian (UK)The Telegraph (UK)British Medical Journal (UK)Perform in other countries around the worldIrelandGermanyAustriaSwitzerlandSwedenIcelandEnglandScotlandIsraelJordanJapanSouth KoreaChinaSouth AfricaAustralia, New Zealand, New GuineaGo white-water rafting (Tennessee)Climb water towers (Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa)Fly in a hot air balloon (Tennessee)Bunjy jump (Sweden)Parachute from an airplane (Indiana)Walk on a bed of hot coalsRide elephants (India, circus)Ride a camelGo on a camel or Arabian horse trek in the dessert with the BedouinsGo on a Llama trekRide sting rays (Bahamas)Swim with dolfinsSwim with sea turtles (Mexico)Swim with sharks (Bahamas, Mexico)Go on a safari (Tiger safari on elephants in India)Ride dugout canoes in the Amazon Rainforest (Ecuador)Skinny-dip in a waterfall in the Amazon Rainforest (Ecuador)Polar Bear Skinny-dip on January 1st (Did it 1/1/02 in Percy Priest Lake in 20 degree weather!)Take up Falconry (studying for my certification now)Take up fly fishing - Become an avid fly fishermanTake a course in stained-glassTake a course in photographyTake a course in gourmet cooking with my wifeLearn to brew Beer, Wine, and MeadLearn to brew a great cup of Swedish coffeeRead the Bible from cover to coverRead Viking sagas in the original Old Norse (Njáls Saga)Get a college degreeA.A. degree in Music [Waldorf College]B.A. degree in Music Business [Indiana State University]Recording Engineer degree [Recording Workshop - #1 in my class!]Have one of my songs published and recorded (23 recorded)Play with a symphony (played concert harp)Work in the music business (Nashville, TN - Regional Manager SESAC-12 years, Stockholm Sweden - STIM, London, England - OnRadio)Secure an international position in the music business (STIM, Sweden)Secure an international position in Internet business ("Director of Int'l Rights Licensing" for WWW.com/OnAir.com)Tour with a major act (Toured with Brooks & Dunn, Summer 2002, 2003)Own my own successful business (Cutting Edge Innertainment - swordfish productions)Win the USA Network contest (won 2nd place in the 2006 "Show Us Your Character" contest)Receive the Ig Nobel Prize (received the 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine at Harvard University on Oct 4, 2007)Develop a Comparative Language Database (100K+ Excel file 30+ languages, under development)Write a book (working on an article and 2 books now - I've got the page numbers done!)Write a film (working on "Other Side of the Coin" - story of Leif Eiriksson)Write a #1 song (won 1st place in national songwriting competition)Produce a record (produced albums and demos)Produce a music video ("Merry Christmas, Doll" aired nationwide each Christmas on FOX/CMT/TNN)Write music for a film (soundtrack for a film on Sudan Africa)Buy a home (Nashville)Get out of debt! (working on it!)Buy or build a log cabin (designing one now!)Build a lighthouse tower (designing it now!)Build a castle tower (designing it now!)Build a wine cellar (in process of building one)Develop an international Bed & Breakfast (designing it now!)Develop an Exotic Animal Rescue Sanctuary (designing it now!)Become a certified Master Falconer (studying and reading up on it now)Build a dulcimer (built 2)Build a luteBuild a 5-string banjoBuild a 5-string fiddleBuy and play a celtic harpBuild a celtic harpBuild a flintlock rifle (bought Hawken .54, building .45 flintlock pistol)Build a ship in a bottle (working on one now)Build a grandfather clock (Emperor)Get a Swedish NyckelharpaGet a grand pianoGet a suit of armour (got helmets and swords so far!)Get a JeepGet a sailboat (O'Day 222)Pass the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Seamanship CourseCircumnavigate the globeLive to see the 21st century!Be happily married and become a great husband and friendBecome a fun "dad" to an adventurous, multilingual family!
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