“Either you run the day, or the day runs you” – Rohn
At the time of this writing, the days seem to be running me.
One of the hardest things for me to do is to slow down and reflect on where I am in life and where I am going. I have an extreme tendency to let each day bleed into the next and often loosen my grip on life direction.
This blog is one of the tools we are trying to create to keep us on the path we design. We still wander off course, sometimes go backwards, and sometimes stand still, but we have found that writing down where we want to be, and where we want to go, is a large part of the solution.
With that thought, Lez and I put together a list of things we would like to achieve and experience before our lives end. What we feel is important will change and like everything this list will evolve, but here’s to a life well designed. We plan on updating this monthly along side our net worth posts.
Our List:
Become debt free - In Process
See Mount Rushmore
Experience all 58 National Parks - We’ve seen 2/58 so far (not counting things we’ve seen separately that the other person hasn’t)
Witness the launch of a Space Shuttle Mission - Scheduled
Witness the launch of a CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle) Mission
Become skilled at a card game and attend a national conference (Ryan)
Learn how to change the oil in my car
Learn to play an instrument (Ryan)
Learn Celtic dancing (Leslie)
Own a canoe
Learn how to make a sweater from scratch (Leslie)
See the Northern Lights
Be able to identify major night sky constellations
Be able to identify most trees on a hike
Have a photograph published in a major magazine (Ryan)
Spot, Photograph and identify 60% of the birds found in Peterson’s Guide to
Bird’s of Eastern and Central NA
Grow and create all aspects of a meal
Run a 10k race
Complete the 100 push-up and 200 sit-up challenges
See a whale
Drive from Maine to Alaska
Visit Normandy Beaches
Bag a whitetail buck during archery season (Ryan)
Go quail hunting (Leslie)
Catch a Fish in every great lake – 2/5 so far (Erie and Ontario)
See the Pacific Ocean (Ryan)
Watch all 100 top movies (Netflix list)
See an active volcano
Visit a crater site
Visit Area 51 – Eat at the diner
Visit the Trinity Site
Attend a taping of The Price is Right
Research and understand American History from the Revolution to Today
Learn to cook chili
Hike the Appalachian Trail
Visit Ireland
Build something complex out of wood (Ryan)
Make a quilt (Leslie)
Read all of Stephen King’s Books (Ryan)
Create self sustaining yearly passive income of $25,000
Create yearly entrepreneurial business gross income of $80,000
Read a biography of every American President
Achieve 1,000 blog subscribers
Get my name on a plaque
Visit all 50 states – We’ve seen 10/50 so far (not counting things one has seen but the other hasn’t)
Make a full Thanksgiving dinner (Leslie)
See wild penguins
Ski at Mad River Glen (Leslie)
Sky dive
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Get a Black Belt in a respected martial arts style (Leslie)
Visit the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C.
What is on your list?
How do you stay on track?
Related posts:
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I ahve a mental 'bucket list' but have never taken the time to write it down. Maybe one day I'll be motivated to do so, but it seems like some things are constantly changing on that list. Maybe one day I'll write it down and be able to start checking things off. there is one thing I'd be able to check off right away though, and that is sky diving! I went back in July and is was AMAZING! I would definately reccomend doing that one soon!
Yea, ours changes a lot too – but it is nice to have it concrete now. I feel like we will make better progress on them this way since we can see it (reminder) and check stuff off.
Can't wait to try sky diving! It's going to be so scary, but should be awesome!
Wow… that's a lot of things! Maybe I should start listing down things for my bucket list too, while I'm still young. Thanks for the idea, guys!