One rainy afternoon in 1940, sitting at his dining room table,the 15-year-old Goddard hit upon a plan. He wrote "My Life Goals" on a sheet of paper. Then he wrote down 127 goals for himself. Some of the items would be relatively easy to achieve, such as visiting the Great Wall of China and joining the Boy Scouts. The list included other goals that involved excitement or adventure, such as sailing around the world and flying an airplane. Showing a strong interest in exploring unknown places, Goddard also wanted to set foot on the moon and climb Mt. Everest.
What made John Goddard record his dreams on paper? He remembered that a friend of his dad's regretted not doing all the things he wanted to when he was John's age. He thought, "I never want to miss an opportunity to do things that I dream of." He carried the wish list everywhere he went and tried throughout his life to turn his dreams into reality. When LIFE introduced Goddard's story with the title "One Man's Life of No Regrets," he had already realized 104 of his list of 127 dreams! He had carried out a number of adventurous explorations, including the first solo kayak trip down the length of the Nile River and standing on the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.