Bucket List Game Reminds Us That 2009 Is the Year You Can Achieve Anything You Want: You Haven’t Let The Recession Keep You From Writing Up Your New Goals List, Have You?
March 1, 2009 by Anne
Filed under Anne Holmes, Blog, Entrepreneurs, Retirement Planning, Spirit & Faith, Work, Money & Retirement
Bucket lists are big news these days and we’ve talked about them before, of course. But here’s one that begs to be shared with you. This time, instead of you coming up with your own personal list, you get to share your experiences with others. Think of this as an opportunity to get to know your friends better.
Here’s how it works: Review all 100 items on the bucket list below and bold the ones you’ve already achieved – though undoubtedly you’ll feel that some of them are more like experiences than they are true lifetime achievements. Still, it’s fun to see how many you can check off!
Below — with brief annotations — is my bucket list. Thanks, to Rhea at “The Boomer Chronicles,” for sharing and getting us started. Feel free to share your results via a comment to the blog. I promise to comment back to each and every one!
Once you get done reading the list and contemplating how you would answer each point, it’s time for the real work to begin. That’s right – it’s time to develop your plan for what you want to personally achieve this year! After all, if you’re going to leave a legacy, it’s time to start! Here’s the bucket list:
I Have…
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars - while on a horseback pack trip. It was phenomenal
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii – no, but I’ve been to Alaska!
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity – how could that be possible? The more you give, the more blessed you become…
7. Been to Disneyland/Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch – first there was macrame, then crochet and tie-dye. Hey, it was the 60s!
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning – no but I have experienced being seasick during a storm at sea. They might be analogous, not sure…
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty – no but I’ve walked DOWN from the top of the Washington Monument and the Gateway Arch…
18. Grown my own vegetables – that was during my “Earth Mother” days, but I am seriously looking into doing it again this year…
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked – my mother told me not to, but I did. Thankfully I’ve never revealed this to her… Guess she’ll know now
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - what parent hasn’t been forced to take a sick day to care for a child?
24. Built a snow fort – oh and it was a dandy!
25. Held a lamb – no but my grandma took a shot of me as a toddler, holding a squirrel as I sat in my sandbox. My mother was petrified when she saw it
26. Gone skinny dipping – in Lake Mendota, at midnight, on a sultry June 21 – the longest day – after drinking a bottle of Boone’s Farm apple wine. Ahh, those UW college days…
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse – well, you can’t watch it DIRECTLY…
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset – both are worth waiting for…
31. Hit a home run – I’m a leftie batter and THAT experience was amazing!
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied – for one brief shining moment…and then it was gone in a flash!
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke – but not as a solo performance…
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa – no but it’s on my wish list, along with Antarctica
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling – I was there with others who did, but I couldn’t get over the concept of spitting into my mask…
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie – no, but I’ve performed live onstage in front of an audience who paid to be in attendance…
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies – actually my cookie sales experience is what got me kicked out of Girl Scouts…
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving – no, but I want to
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter - over Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, while the the ethereal music of “Enya” reverberated into my headphones, courtesy of the pilot. It was a transcendent experience – a day I will never forget!
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy – well, I saved “Sheepie,”one of my kid’s favorite stuffed animals, but only books remain from my childhood…
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt – not yet, but I have a sister-in-law who’s promised to teach me
73. Stood in Times Square – way back in the 60s, before they cleaned it up!
74. Toured the Everglades- sadly, I don’t think touring Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs counts. But I did go on a Cajun Swamp Tour in New Orleans that was pretty spectacular…
75. Been fired from a job – twice, though the second time was termed “closing your department,” but I wonder…
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - technically I did bruise my tailbone in a skiing accident, but there’s nothing they can do for that. The subsequent ride in the Ski Patrol basket was pure embarrassment, however
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle – so far, only in my dreams
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book – lots of stuff I have written has been published, but my book’s not done yet…
81. Visited the Vatican – the most memorable thing for me, besides the Vatican Guards’ uniforms, was the catacombs…
82. Bought a brand new car- thankfully I’ve enjoyed this pleasure many times
83. Walked in Jerusalem – no but I have a sister-in-law who has…
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating – no, but I helped my Dad clean ducks he’d shot. That was close enough for me…
88. Had chickenpox – even gave it to my brother, who was just a few weeks old. Sorry, Eric!
89. Saved someone’s life – well I had to give my daughter Syrup of Ipecac once, so I think that counts…
90. Sat on a jury – called twice, but never chosen…
91. Met someone famous – Most notably, “The Guess Who” came to our house and showed my son how to play American Woman on his guitar. Each played it a bit differently. We have pictures
92. Joined a book club – many times
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby – Did that twice – a long time ago
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit – oh yeah. Thankfully I’ve always won, even when I was the defendant
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant – not yet, but I have a friend who arranges this in Africa, so I’ll do it eventually
Back to You: What’s in Store For You Goals-wise, in 2009?
Your answer, you understand, is deeply rooted in your ability to set and achieve goals. The fact is, recession or not, you have the ability to achieve WHATEVER you desire. Perhaps you seek …
- Robust health
- Financial freedom
- Enduring relationships
- Wonderful friendships
- Fulfilling family activities
- True happiness
Whatever your desires, any and all of them are possible once you take the first step by setting goals for achieving these experiences.
Of course, to do it right, you really need to have a variety of goals:
- Short term goals (goals you can easily accomplish in one day to one year)
- Mid-range goals (goals which you can attain in one to three years)
- Long term goals (goals that will take you three to five years to realize)
- Finally, of course, you still want to maintain your “bucket list” goals (those big picture things you want to experience before you die)
When you set goals strategically, you start by planning the long term goals. You then carefully break down each goal into specific steps to develop your mid-range goals.
Then, for each mid-range goal, you ask yourself what you need to do to accomplish each one.
Use those answers to create your short term goal list. These become your “To-Do List” each day for the next year.
Your goals list should not be about only those things you want personally …
Of course, there’s no need to limit your goal-setting to things you’d like to accomplish for yourself…You can also work out what sort of legacy you’d like to leave:
- For the world
- For your business
- For your family
You can create goals related to anything that you can affect as well as anything that you want to participate in. It’s all fair game.
For example, do you long for world peace? Don’t let the dream die because you think it’s more than you can accomplish. Instead:
- Put world peace on your long term goals list
- Then figure out a way to make a peaceful difference in the world via your mid-range goals
- Start building toward peace immediately via your short term goals – for example, you could start by participating in other people’s peace-generating activities
- Join a peace march
- Make a financial donation
- Work with 10 Million Clicks for Peace
Regardless of what decide to you do, remember this: Albert Schweitzer once said, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
In short, if you want to achieve all of your goals in 2009 and beyond, your first step is to make sure that you include everything that will make you happy on your goals list AND make sure that you are focused on doing something you love!
That’s why it is so important to follow your passion in building a business. Unless you have a true passion for what you are doing, you will find it all but impossible to succeed.
When you follow your passion, you’ll not only experience success — but happiness will be its twin.
What Sort of Success Will You Create in 2009 and Beyond?
The answer depends on the goals you set for yourself and the action you take to achieve them.
If you’ve never before used goal setting to help you achieve success and happiness, here’s a program created by the fabulous Gina Gaudio-Graves that is guaranteed to help you realize your goals.
Don’t let yourself down or your goals die. The legacy you want to leave is too important to the world.
Download this highly recommended goal-setting package from Gina Gaudio-Graves today at:
—> Miracle Motivational Package
I’d reckon you’ve lived a fulfilling life – looking at your ’still to dos’ the only ones I’d recommend/avoid (from personal experience) are
1) Definitely
Visiting Hawaii – beautiful
Go snorkelling – amazing
Go rock climbing – exciting
Donate blood – gratifying
2) Don’t bother with the following
Have Food Poisoning – painful
See The Grand Canyon – a yawn
Go on A Speeding Motorcycle – frigtening
Go Deep Sea Fishing – sickly
See Niagra Falls – dull (unless you’re in a barrel!)
Me myself am looking forward to getting back to growing vegetables (boring but true). LOL
Those are some great ideas on your list. I think i would have to agree that a lot of them are pretty solid choices of things to accomplish in anyones life. thanks.
Ok , It seems I have some work to do. I have only experienced 42 of the items on your list. Lol! I think everyone has a mental list of their goals, but seeing your bucket list on paper may help you start checking them off faster. Good luck to all!
Live Strong!
Cathy Warren
http://www.Over60exchange.com
I have a lot of work to do for this comment!
3. Played in a band – every Sunday!
8. Climbed a mountain – Mt. Mitchell, NC. Good thing I could drive most of the way
14. Taught myself an art from scratch – I’m counting the art of procuring free stuff from the internet.
16. Food poisoning – This wouldn’t make my bucket list, but it’s happened.
26. Skinny Dipping – Check.
30. Watched a sunrise – from Wrightsville Beach in NC. Beautiful.
32. Been on a cruise – Check
33. Niagra Falls – I’m going in June!
41. I’ve sung karaoke solo AND in a group.
58. My martial arts instructor was a crook! He took the class’ money and left town!
70. Lincoln Memorial – Been there.
73. Times Square – I <3 NY. I’ve been 4 separate times.
79. Grand Canyon – My wife hiked it, seeing it was good enough for me.
Own a cell phone? why is this even on here?
Well, that was fun. Looks like I have to get crackin’!
Hi,
I think the ideas in the list are amazing.
I am agree with your lot of views.
Thanks for sharing.
I so need to put together one of these. Its too easy to get sucked up into the whirlwind of life only to be spat out at the end realising you’ve done nothing!
Glad to see you have tried caviar at item 71. It’s interesting what impact caviar has, I see it’s the only food on your list.
Bucket Lists are great to ensure you live life to the fullest. Some of mine are:
Travel outside North America
Experience the night Life of Ney York City
Achieve a Six-Pack set of Abs
Take a Photography Trip to a different State
Visit Craft Breweries across the US
much more
Here`s another tip for 2010 guys.
Keep your goals achievable, believable and clear. They should be doable and you should be able believing your own promise as it generates motivation. And then… They should be clear and detailed. Not: I will do some exercise!
But I will do yoga every morning from monday to friday from 7:00 to 8:00 o clock and its going to be awesome (or something similar)
Make sure to be precise with goals then achieving them will be as precise!
Best regards and good luck for the coming 2010
It was a wonderful idea to share and allow others to comment on this bucket list. I’ve gotten here a little late, so I missed this for 2009, but it’s perfect timing for 2010!
Thanks for helping me refocus on what’s important in my life…
Personally, I like Josiah’s additions. I’d love to visit New York City and see Times Square on New Year’s, maybe stay in a Manhattan luxury condo, and I think autumn in New England would be a great location for a photography trip. Definitely with him on the craft breweries tour but I’d add a tour of wineries in southern Cal.
We have a lot of retired customers and we send them to pages such as this for helpful retirement planning. Thanks
Glad to be of assistance!
I keep putting off making my bucket list, although I don’t really call it a bucket list, more of just a life goals list.
2010 will be the year I officially create the list. I have a few items always in my head, but it doesn’t make it real until I have a list I can reference.
I sometimes see people actually publish the list on their blog, such as this, in order to be held accoutnable for them too.
I love this idea! and I’ve started my list since I was little and keep adding to you! there is a lot I need to and want to do. I love your list and encourage you to keep it up. And yes, do go to Hawaii! it is simple marvelous. Ps have you seen the bucket list? I haven’t yet, but that is what this post makes me think of.