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Why You NEED A Life List & How To Make One

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Are you feeling down? Making a life list can boost your mood and inspire you. 

Some people refer to life lists as bucket lists, but that always sounded kind of morbid to me. I am not trying to do all the things before I kick the bucket. I am trying to enjoy and make the most of my life all along the way. I have had a short list of things that are on my life list that I file in the back of my mind. A lot of them are big-ticket items like taking my family on safari one day (this has been a dream of mine for a long time).

We don't have a lot of options




I don't think about my life list all the time or anything. Frankly, in the middle of quarantine, life seems to be on hold. Not only am I am not doing any of the things on my life list right now, but we even had to cancel one of the things on my list that had been planned for this summer. It's frustrating and discouraging and makes me feel stuck. It's hard to get excited about our lives when we don't have anything on the calendar to look forward to. It can be downright depressing. 

My life list immediately lifted my mood


I was talking with my daughter about some things she is excited about, and she immediately added these exciting items to her life list. She keeps a running list of things she wants to experience at least once. When she asked me what was on my list, I honestly couldn't think of very many things. So I decided to start a list on my phone. I noticed my mood lightened and brightened as soon as I started making the list. Because I love to travel, I also started watching travel shows that inspired me to add more things to my list. 

A life list can help direct your life goals



But I wanted my list to include more than just travel, so I looked up examples of what others have on their life lists. I ran across this list which had organized sections or areas of exploration such as places she wanted to photography, mountains she wanted to climb, and specific places she wanted to swim, along with goals she wanted to accomplish and more. I personally found it helpful to have these kinds of categories. But the format is not as important as the simple exercise of allowing yourself to dream and plan and get excited about living. It also helps you clarify what is and isn't important in your life. It can help you work towards goals that give you a sense of purpose and joy and cut out things that don't move you closer to your goals. 

Tips for how to build a list


  • Start with brainstorming. This means not censoring yourself too much. Put things on your list that may seem hard or expensive or even not very realistic in the near future.
  • Make your goals measurable. Travel the world is too broad. Visit the waterfalls in Iceland is more realistic and doable. 
  • Don't worry about how you organize or prioritize items on your list. You can worry about that after you have a long list.
  • Prioritize growing your list. I like the idea of having the list on my phone so that whenever something sparks my interest, I can easily add it to the list. 
  • Share your list with friends or family. There is joy in creating, sharing, and discussing your list. It can also help others feel inspired and dream about their own lists. 
  • Leave things on your list even after you accomplish them. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and joy to look back on all of the cool things you have done. 

Categories to consider



  • Travel (Visit the Grand Canyon, See the Eiffel Tower, Go on Safari)
  • Skills and knowledge (Learn fluent Spanish)
  • Experiences (Soak in Iceland's hot springs, Swim with whale sharks)
  • Career (Own your own company, Quit a job you hate)
  • Finances (Pay off credit cards, Donate 10% of your income to charity)
  • Relationship and family (Trace my family tree, Watch my children graduate from high school and college)
  • Physical feats (Exercise or move my body every day, Climb Mt. Rainier)

Domino effect - One step leads to another


Start with one thing on your list and do it soon. I realize we are more limited than normal, but start with something you can do safely. For example, I could still surprise my husband by cooking a five-course meal, set up a regular donation to a charity I care about, hike the Blue Ridge Mountains, or trace my family tree. Doing just one thing can start a domino effect as you feel empowered by doing something on your list. You can do this! You will get a jolt of joy from just creating the list, and we can use all the joy we can get these days. 

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