In 2021, three boxes were left unticked in Paul Murphy's diary.
Yes, he started writing a diary and key to it was winning the All-Ireland with Kerry and then having success with club sides East Kerry and Rathmore.
The dream would be realised, it's just that it happened a year later.
July last saw Murphy pick up a second All-Ireland title after Kerry edged out Galway. At the end of October more silverware came as East Kerry won the Kingdom senior championship and then to cap the year off Murphy helped Rathmore lift the intermediate title.
The journey with the latter continues. On Sunday next, Galbally Pearses from Tyrone await in the All-Ireland final at Croke Park.
On that diary and those three entries, Murphy told RTÉ Sport in advance of Sunday's decider: "It's funny, in 2021 I had a diary and they were the three targets that I put at the front of the diary then. I'd read something about goal-setting, that you explicitly put it on the diary, and it's on the front page, you'd see it every time. But sure the three boxes were left unticked.
"So when 2022 came around, I said I wasn't going to bother with that. It hadn't worked out in 2021. But the way the year went last year, you couldn't have asked for better. Every team I was involved with were successful. So it's pinch-yourself stuff. I'm really fortunate to be involved with such good panels and with such good management teams behind them.
"Between the three teams, we had a brilliant year of it in '22. A huge amount of work goes in for each of those teams and campaigns so the real enjoyment is winning, and to see that work being rewarded is savage.
"The few days after then celebrating with the lads, is brilliant. I had to cut the intermediate celebrations short, I had to fly out of the country the following morning for work so I had to fit my celebrations into a very short window, then got the air coach up to Dublin airport through the night. WhatsApps and Snapchats were flying at that stage, you're keeping an eye on it. I missed a small bit of that but look, a small price to pay."
There was also a delayed honeymoon to fit in. That meant Murphy had to miss Rathmore's provincial final win over Limerick's Na Piarsaigh.
"The honeymoon was planned during the summer and it was booked then in the autumn time so we were unfortunate to miss the Munster final," he explained.
"In Rathmore, there's a strong panel; I was confident that if I was missing, someone else could step in and do a good job. The timing of it, there was a couple of factors. My wife, she's tied down by an academic calendar. She does a bit of lecturing in MTU. She's tied down by that. I'm caught obviously by football. You're trying to be around for the busy time in work as well. We're at a year end here, I work as an accountant, so that's a factor.
"You'd like to be around for that. And then the other factor, my brother and sister both moved separately out to Melbourne in 2022. So the plan was to link up with them for Christmas. It was kind of the only time we could go, it was just unfortunate that it clashed with the Munster final.
"But thankfully, the lads did the job in my absence. They enjoyed the celebrations. It's worked out. We got over Fethard then last week, kept the momentum thankfully."
For Murphy and his Rathmore colleagues, the pressure is now on to keep the momentum going and get over the challenge that the Tyrone champions will present on Jones' Road.
"You don't want to go up there and come away a runner-up; you want to go up and finish the job off," he added.
"So the pressure might have been off there for a small bit (after the Kerry final) but when you're back in an All-Ireland final you're putting pressure back on yourself. We're not there for a day out to play in Croke Park, we want to go up there and come home with the Cup."
In a week where fellow defender Lee Keegan called time on a stellar career with Mayo, Murphy joined the long list of those paying tribute, when describing the Westport clubman as a player for the big occasion.
"There was no end to him as a competitor," he remarked.
"A really tough opponent. A fantastic athlete, very strong, very quick, very mobile. There was no end to him as a competitor. Whatever, you'd throw at him, he'd relish it, he would come back for more. A big thing about his impact as a player was that he backed himself in those big moments, to take on the big opportunities at scores, and invariably he nailed them.
Lee Keegan - Mayo's heartbeat exits stage left
"He took on the job of marking one of the opponents' key players and do as good a job as any would do on him. For Gaelic football in general, he's been a huge part of the last ten years. He'll be a big loss for Mayo undoubtedly but I'm sure that that they are those involved in the Mayo panel, who are on the fringes of it, who'll see a couple of opportunities now in the defence.
"That's the nature of inter-county, it's always rolling. One guy retiring is opening the door for someone else. Mayo are going nowhere, there will be guys who'll step up and have a big impact in Lee Keegan's absence."
Of course we're only a few weeks out from the start of the competitive inter-county action, with Kerry putting their league and All-Ireland titles on the line.
Murphy, who will be targeting a third Sam Maguire success in 2023, has had minimal contact so far with Jack O'Connor, though he is expecting a plan of action from the manager shortly.
With Rathmore's Shane Ryan and the Clifford brothers David and Paudie also involved in club action for now, allied with injury concerns for others, squad depth in the Kerry panel will be key. Murphy is only too aware that many will be putting up their hands for inclusion over the next few months.
He singled out two players that could see more time.
"Mike Breen would have played very well in 2021 but unfortunately got a bad hamstring last year and missed a lot of the season. Dan O'Donoghue came in last year, played in the McGrath Cup and a few games in the league. He also got injured and didn't get a clear run of fitness for the rest of the summer. The two lads will be hoping to get a clear run and force their way back into the reckoning.
"Unfortunately, they are both defenders and I'll have to force my way into the reckoning with them. Ultimately for the team the better the competition is all over the squad for every position the better. Staying injury free is the key thing when you come into an inter-county panel. It is a step up in intensity, training is at a higher pitch than you would be used to.
"Sometimes they struggle physically with the step-up. For any of the guys that are new in, I hope they can get a clear run, stay injury free and be fit and able to train. Then you are in a position to put your hand up for selection, be more comfortable at the level you are training at and drive it on from there."
