The Power of a Life List, Your 25 Things List.

A list can create a clear vision, focus, guide so that you move towards having no regrets at the end of your life.

Photo by Emma Matthews Digital Content Production on Unsplash

I have a powerful list. My 25 Things List. The 25 Things I want to do before I die. This is a list of things I want to do, so that I have no regrets at the end of my life. When interviewed, the elderly often say they regret not having done something or tried something. Or, as Steven Covey says in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,

Start with the end in mind.

I’m now in my 50s but have been using this 25 Things List since my 20s to guide my life. I’m always working on, researching, thinking about, something on my list. It is important that the things on my list are truly things I want to do/be/have.

Not what someone else wants me to do — not my family, not my friends, not my boss or coworkers, not what society says I should be doing. Anything that I think I should do does not get to be included on the list. I’ve had to cross things off because I realized that an item was not something that my intuition, heart, or feelings told me was right for me. It was really someone else’s goal for me.

So Start

Give yourself permission to brainstorm, dream, think big. Write down what you would secretly like to accomplish this year, in 5 years, in 20 years, in your life. What does your intuition, your knowing, your heart, your gut say you want to do/be/have in this life?

Rumi said: The inspiration and wonders you seek are already within you. Be silent. And Listen.

Don’t worry, yet, about the cost of these dreams and desires. Don’t worry, yet, about whether you really think they are possible for you.

It has become a joke in my house around the words “we can’t afford to do that”. My husband and I have done some cool things from our 25 Things List.

But, anytime we get an idea, a spark, a thought about trying the next thing, making a change, stepping up, getting a new idea, a new possibility, he always immediately says, “We can’t afford to do that”. This voice is his father’s voice and he still hears it and repeats it. I smile and say, “Let’s give it a look, anyway.”

I’ve found, again and again, that although my dreaming started with a vision that may have been an outrageously first class, high end, expensive way forward, I always ended up making my vision, my be/do/have fit my budget. And, my be/do/have was still joyous, playful, a dream come true, an adventure, something I needed to do so that I have no regrets!

Your List can include Big Things or Small Things.

Big Things like …

To start a business, your dream business, to be self employed
To write a novel, just write regularly, write for yourself, write for others
To run a marathon, a half marathon, a race supporting cancer research
To pay off your debt, to live debt-free
To start saving money for ___
To retire early
To change careers, to climb your career ladder
To buy a house, to build a house
To patent your invention, to copyright your idea
To get a university degree, a master’s degree, a certificate in ___
To take classes to learn how to ___
To climb a mountain
To travel the world
To learn a different language
To become an amazing public speaker or writer
To live on the beach, in the mountains, in the woods, on a lake
To sail around the world

Small Things like…

To forgive someone
To apologize to someone
To thank someone
To plant a vegetable garden
To read the classics
To eat more fruit & vegetables
To laugh more
To live more playfully
To live more simply
To set aside every Sunday for your family or for you

Keep your list in your diary, top drawer, on your phone, in-box, wallet, purse, wherever. Tape it to your refrigerator, tape it to your bathroom mirror. You really want to look at it regularly so you can regularly work on something on your list.

I often feel out of sync, out of sorts, off-balance, not in line with my purpose and my values if I’m not working on something on my list.

So, start. Brainstorm. Dream. Start something on your list. Small steps are fine. Step-by-step. Maybe it’s only doing research on the internet for 30 minutes, starting a budget for your dream, joining a club related to your dream, reading a book or magazine, or talking to someone who will support you in your dream. Commit to taking a step closer every week.

Here’s a few things I’ve done from my list…

Got my university degree, my MBA, my CPA
Trained for and became a certified life coach
Traveled to many destinations I really wanted to see
Ran a marathon, then another
Climbed the corporate ladder
Quit the corporate ladder to sail around the world
Lived on a boat, on the beach, in the country, in the woods so that I could observe the seasons in these places
Started my own small businesses
Lots of road trips to go see what’s there, to see nature, to see
Retired early (I keep retiring again and again, but feel pulled to coach, speak, write)

Here’s what’s still on my list

Become an amazing public speaker
Share my life coaching tools, tips, techniques, and lessons
Learn, and become fluent in, American Sign Language

What’s on your list? It is never too late to start. Just start.

I am a life coach and small business coach. I empower others to level up, grow, and thrive in their life and work. Visit me at https://www.lauraraduenz.com