The 50/50 Project
Celebrating Life Through Recursive Action
"With mindfulness, the intentions we set now materialize in a future Now moment."
Why I Started
To celebrate the gift of 50 years of life, I started the 50/50 Project on my birthday in December.
The aim:
- To inspire and coax out the best in me
- To challenge and stretch myself
- To explore with curiosity
- To connect to others and to my passions
- To seek greater bliss and peace
There was no finish line — only a heading, a spirit of unfolding.
The Philosophy Behind It
When I set intentions, I set my heading.
There is only ever this moment.
What unfolds now is the result of countless decisions, agreements, investments, and unseen forces.
"I want to arrive at the next Now moment with a full heart, a peaceful mind, and equanimity."
But I cannot remain equanimous if I cling to outcomes.
So I approach this project in a spirit of play, curiosity, and experiment.
My Core Intentions
- To celebrate this gift of life
- To create and hasten ideas into reality
- To experiment and learn
- To deepen discovery
- To connect more deeply and authentically with others
- To remain present
- To play
- To transform the inner landscape into a refuge of tranquility and contentment
- To relinquish self-will, separateness, and negative attachments
- To purify body, mind, desires, and motives
- To explore potentials and possibilities
- To surrender more completely to What-Is
- To achieve financial independence
- To live in alignment
The Projects
I initially set out to complete 50 projects by the end of my 50th year (2022).
It was ambitious — so I extended the window to 2 years.
But many practices and protocols stuck and are now part of my routine.
They naturally fell into categories inspired by my intentions:
🎵 Creative: 52 Songs in 52 Genres
- Connects to passion, culture, language, and joy.
- Completed in 2024.
🛶 Physical: Kayak 50 Islands and Special Forces 50 Challenge
- Kayak 50 islands — expression of curiosity, endurance, and joy (12 islands completed so far).
- Special Forces 50 Training — 52 weeks training to complete 42 physical standards across anaerobic, glycolytic, and aerobic systems.
Sample Elements Completed:
- Deadlift 3x body weight equivalent
- Long jump performance standard
- 2-minute max pushups (USAF benchmark)
- 1.5-mile timed run (50-year-old standard)
- Murph Challenge with 20 lb weighted vest
💰 Financial: Grow Net Income by 50%
- Expression of prudence, frugality, discipline, and responsibility.
- Achieved 42% growth in net income.
🍲 Cultural: 50 Vegetarian Meals from 50 Cultures
- Life-affirming exploration of nutrition and tradition.
- Completed winter of 2024 — now a continuing practice.
🤝 Philanthropic: Donate 50 Hours
- Act of self-emptying generosity.
- Completed 100 hours during retreat in summer 2024.
🌳 Nature: Plant 50 Trees
- Recognition of interdependence and stewardship of life.
- (Incomplete — remains an open living project.)
🎨 Professional: 50 Pages of Artwork (Children's Book)
- Expression of joy through illustration and storytelling.
🏠 Home: $50,000 in Home Improvements Under $10,000
- Remodel of a bathroom and office space.
- Total cost came in around $10K.
- Fusion of creativity, frugality, and financial independence.
🧘 Habits: Complaint-Free Challenge (50 Days)
- Goal: 50 consecutive days without complaining, criticizing, or gossiping.
- Purification of thoughts, words, and energy.
🕊️ Spiritual: Via Negativa Practices
Via negativa: the way of negation.
Practices included:
- Abstaining from news for 50 days (extended indefinitely).
- Purging lustful thoughts from the mind.
- No sugar (except for fruits) for 50 days.
These disciplines support the intention to purify the body, thoughts, desires, and motives.
Challenges and Lessons
I had some "fails":
- Achilles tendinitis delayed my 50-mile hike.
- I didn't plant 50 trees.
- Some projects (like certain Special Forces elements and longer endurance tests) remain open.
"But I am better for having made the attempt."
The journey itself — the intention, the movement, the surrender — is the transformation.
RIM Integration: Recursive Evolution through the 50/50 Project
In the Recursive Integrated Model (RIM):
| Layer | 50/50 Impact |
|---|---|
| Physical | Strengthened through movement, resilience, purification |
| Cognitive | Refined through intention, flexibility, and learning |
| Emotional | Deepened through surrender, discovery, and connection |
| Relational | Strengthened through service and vulnerability |
| Spiritual | Expanded through non-attachment, gratitude, and trust |
Final Reflection
This project is a fractal — unfinished, unfolding, alive.
Life itself is a recursion:
"Set the heading, take the step, surrender the outcome."
I don't know where it leads.
But I know who it is leading me to become.