January is Bucket List Month
I cannot remember a time in my life in which I did not have a bucket list of some kind. A bucket list is your list of what you want to see, do, have, or experience in your lifetime; it’s a list of what you WANT to accomplish before you kick the Proverbial Bucket.
My mother’s constant question to me when I was young was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I can’t remember having many books in our home, but we had one, and I read it at least a million times. It was a picture book about a “choo-choo train” that traveled from east to west and all points in-between, and it captured the highlights of the trip graphically. There were the mountains of the West, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Grand Canyon, the Great Lakes, orange groves in Florida, corn fields in Nebraska, the Pacific Ocean and much more. Mom and I looked at this little book many times and she would say, “You can go there when you grow up.” Of course, after establishing where I was going to go, there was still my mother’s question of, “What do you want to be?” Enter the bucket list.
The bucket list I have resulted from reading one of the best books ever printed, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I had begun my bucket list before I even finished the book! At the time I had a mediocre job and soon realized that I might not accomplish much on the list unless I found another career. It wasn’t long thereafter that I was taking the real estate exam—and the rest is history. Remember all I’ve said about how having goals to work toward is the biggest part of the battle? Think of your bucket list as lifelong goals that also help you make smart decisions and set your path for where you want to go in life. Here are some ideas to enhance the process of creating your list.
1. The Motivation. The motivation that comes from making the list is AWESOME. It’s in those quiet moments when a person is thinking and writing that they make a commitment to themselves to have a GOOD life. It was for me, and it’s been the same for thousands of other people as well. There is a good chance that if you can Think It, you can Have It.
2. There are No Rules. You can write the list any way you want to write it, on anything you want to write it on. The important part is to DO IT.
3. Add and Delete. I put things on my list when I was in my 20s that I don’t want now, so I’ve deleted them. It’s your list, so add and delete as you see fit.
4. Age is Not a Factor. I know people who didn’t have a bucket list until they were in their 70s—and they had the time of their lives from then until they kicked the bucket in their 80s. Why not just live until you die?
LeRoyism
I am 100% convinced that my bucket list made a huge positive difference in my life. I believe most people just take life as it comes, and far too many kick the bucket without ever having a list and without having a good life. As I said earlier in this blog, I believe that the thinking that it takes to create a list is the same thinking it takes to create a good life. Writing is one of the best forms of human motivation, and it’s well documented that those who have goals in writing accomplish much more than those who do not. Think, write, put it on a list, and don’t kick the bucket any time soon! Here is a link to another January message from LeRoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehIRimTTyn4&feature=share&list=UUpzKQ5Tx3FmwMb9_uyS59-w
For more information on bucket lists, visit http://www.abundancetapestry.com/111-ideas-for-your-bucket-list/.
Fine article. It may inspire me to write more. Happy New Year.
Thanks for your comment Charlie. I hope you will write more as we would all profit from it. Let’s have lunch soon. Happy New Year!
Dear Leroy;
Well, Linda Long sent me this article via Facebook and I have enjoyed it so much. It’s good to see you’re still doing so well. Our paths don’t get to cross much anymore but I think of you often (and Carolyn). You’ve gone a long way out of determination, good up-bringing and just plain old common sense. You’ve helped many people along the way and made a very good name for yourself. I’m very proud of you “Poochie” and proud that you have been part of my family. Keep in touch.
Much love,
Donna
Thank you for your kind remarks Donna Carol. You had to go somewhere in life when you had Roy and Lucille and the rest of my friends and family standing behind you and cheering you on, and you were a part of that and I am very grateful and humbled by it. I appreciate you sending this blog to other people and hope to see you someday soon. Please give my regards to your family.