Life Begins at 50 - Dive In!

When hearing the term bucket list, the first thing that probably comes to mind is someone who is seriously contemplating the end of their life - perhaps someone who is terminally ill as were the characters in the movie.  That is certainly NOT my reason for this post.  On the contrary.  The reason behind this post is to inspire you to reach beyond the norm and really take a juicy bite out of life - however long that is.  

One way to do this is through personal development.  It's about creating something more than yourself.  When you develop yourself personally, you will build upon and improve your "me-factor".  This means going out of your element and doing things you may not have thought doing, but always hoped that you would. This is why the concept of a bucket list is so important to personal development. With a bucket list, you are creating a list that will help you improve yourself because you are going through the things that you want to do in your life before you ‘kick the bucket’.  To create a proper bucket list, one that will not disappoint you or be counter-productive, you should do the following to make your bucket list the best possible:

1. You may want to write your bucket list all at once, but you do not need to do this. Write down the first few things can be written right away but keep your bucket list with you at all times because over time you will think of new things that you want to do.
2. Don’t just pick the normal things that everyone picks, like ‘See Paris’. Think outside the box and choose things that are a bit more interesting. Riding a motorbike down the Great Wall of China is a good example of this.
3. Look at the list of others to see what interests them and what they may want to do. You may find that you also want to do those things.
4. Put things on your list that you can accomplish right now, at a low cost, like learning a language, while also making some things easier to achieve than others. If all your list items are very hard to do, you will only get discouraged. That being said, only putting easy things on your list will make it not worthwhile for you to do.
5. Put your bucket list up on the internet because this will make you accountable to the people who see the list. They will both help you and push you to do your bucket list and they will keep you on the path to accomplishing the things that you want. It is like an audience watching you and making sure you do what you have promised to do.
6. Probably the most important thing you can do is to make your bucket list something that is fun. If it is all serious, you won’t enjoy it and the most important thing about personal development is enjoying the person you are becoming and what you are doing. That is why you want to make your bucket list fun, so that you are always looking forward to what you are going to be doing in the future on the list.

A bucket list is something that is very important when you want to develop yourself personally and make yourself a better person. So begin today to make yourself a better person with your own personal bucket list.

Imagine being able to say at the end of your life's journey: "Wow, what a ride!" And what better way to have a fulfilling, adventurous life than by creating a bucket list, and taking the necessary steps to cross off each item on your list? When most people think of a life list, they think of things such as the following:

• "Climb the Eiffel Tower"
• "Go to Carnival at Rio de Janeiro"
• "Swim with Sharks"
• "Go To the Super Bowl"

Although you should definitely include travel on your life list---if seeing the world, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures is something that interests you--, as well as including all of the different adventures you would like to go on, you should also take the time to decide what you want to accomplish in each area of your life. This includes areas such as the following:

• Work: Starting a profitable, location-independent business doing what you love; finding work that gives you a sense of fulfillment; being among the best in the world in your field.
  
• Family: Finding and marrying the love of your life; having a healthy, happy child; spending lots of quality time with your spouse.
  
• Health: Having the energy and strength to do everything you want; to look and feel fit; to age well.
• Contributions: Spending a year abroad with the Peace Corps; volunteering at a homeless shelter; mentoring a disadvantaged youth.
• Finances: Having a million dollar investment portfolio; having multiple sources of passive income; having enough money to be able to finance your life goals.
• Personal Development: Having the ability to hit the "pause button" and choosing your attitude in any situation; learning to forgive; having a happiness project.

Creating and achieving your life list is about deciding what you really want-which means setting goals--, as well as planning, budgeting, and then taking the necessary steps to accomplish your goals. The last part, taking action, includes incorporating habits and routines into your daily life which will help you to gradually mold your life into a work of art that is uniquely yours.

Check out the following links to sites with "bucket list" suggestions:

100 Things To Experience Before You Die

Abundance Blog

Hub Pages

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