Making a life list has been good for me. It's great to write down my goals and priorities. I always kind of had this vague idea of "I want to do awesome, adventurous things with my life." Sitting down and really writing it out made me feel that living this sort of life is attainable. Instead of general ideas I have a concrete list. I probably won't accomplish all of them, but that's not what it's about. It's about knowing what I want so I can take the steps to achieve them. It's really helped me sort out exactly what I want career wise. The activity itself was painless and was actually a lot of fun.
A few quotes from the book I've enjoyed so far:
"You don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to."
"Whatever your dreams are, start taking them very, very seriously."
"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." - Dale Carnegie
Without further ado, here is my life list. The one-year and five-year goals are taken out of the life list at the bottom. The italicized lines are things that I've already done.
One-Year Goals
Self Improvement
1. Do Yoga 3-4 times per week.
2. Read more about Yoga.
3. Get better at snowboarding.
4. Workout minimum of 5 times per week.
5. Write a practice novel.
6. Eat clean & healthy.
7. Read my books on food foraging.
8. Read my OB nursing journals.
9. Read more poetry.
10. Listen to More Classical Music
11. Live simply & authentically
12. Do a pull-up.
Travel
1. Go to Egypt.
2. Go to Africa for the first time.
3. Visit Istanbul.
4. Visit Cairo.
5. Visit Mont Blanc.
6. Visit Zurich.
7. See Mont St. Michelle with Eric & Erin.
8. See Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum.
9. Travel in Italy with dad.
10. Go to Berlin & see holocaust museum & concentration camps.
11. See the Pyramids
12. Luxor & Karnak.
13. Alexandria.
14. Road trip through Europe if contract ends.
Adventure
1. Run Koln Marathon.
2. Scuba dive in the Red Sea.
3. Run Rome Marathon with dad.
4. Do a triathlon.
5. Run a 50 mile ultra-marathon.
6. Go to a Yoga course for a month in an Ashram in India.
7. Ski in the Alps for a week.
Unique
13. See Wicked.
14. See David Sedaris.
15. Visit HP Studios.
16. Be positive, patient & grateful.
17. Be in love & be a good partner.
Five-Year Goals
Self Improvement
1. Get really good at snowboarding.
2. Practice Buddhism.
3. Do CrossFit regularly.
4. Go Rock Climbing more.
5. Learn to lucid dream better.
6. Become fluent in another language.
7. Learn how to play guitar or piano.
8. Learn how to ride horses well.
9. Learn Krav Maga.
10. Transit mainly via bicycle.
11. Grow a successful veggie/herb garden.
Career
1. Work in L&D for a year.
2. Go to school to become a Certified Nurse Midwife.
3. Volunteer/work in a third world country.
4. Teach prenatal Yoga.
5. Write a Book.
Travel
1. Go to Burning Man.
2. Go on at least one float trip per year.
3. Do a ton of travel/adventuregoals: S. & Central America if living in the US; Africa, Asia & Europe if living in Europe.
Adventure
1. Run a 100 mile ultra-marathon.
2. Hike the Colorado Trail
3. Learn how to surf.
4. Do an Ironman.
5. Go camping often.
6. Learn survival skills.
7. Learn archery.
8. Go skydiving.
9. Climb Mt. Rainier.
10. Holi Color Festival
11. 5K Color Run
12. Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
13. Climb Kilimanjaro
14. Do a Tough Mudder Run.
15. Parasailing.
16. Swim with dolphins.
17. Go whale watching.
18. Go dog sledding.
19. Hangliding
20. Sky Diving.
21. Hot Air Balloon
22. Ride an Elephant
23. Comic-Con
24. Olympics
Unique
1. Be part of a flashmob.
2. Do plays in community theatre.
3. Go to Ladd family retreats.
4. Play Capture the flag as an adult.
Life List
Self-Improvement
1. Learn how to forage for food.
2. Get better at Yoga.
3. Write my practice novel.
4. Write a book.
5. Become fluent in another language.
6. Learn to lucid dream better.
7. Learn how to play guitar or piano.
8. Learn Krav Maga.
9. Read more poetry/classics.
10. Listen to more classical music.
11. Learn how to use a bow and arrow.
12. Learn survival skills.
13. Grow a successful herb/veggie garden.
14. Do a pull-up.
15. Learn how to paint.
16. Grow a veggie garden.
17. Grow an herb garden.
18. Learn to cook.
19. Learn to cook vegetarian.
20. Learn to cook vegan.
21. Ride a bicycle regularly for transportation.
22. Learn how to play ultimate Frisbee.
23. Be in plays throughout highschool.
Regular Practices
1. Yoga 3-4 times per week.
2. Exercise minimum 5x per week.
3. Go camping at least 3x/year.
4. Eat clean.
5. Transit mainly via bicycle.
6. Go to Crossfit regularly.
7. Live simply & authentically.
8. Rockclimb more.
9. Go on at least one float trip per year.
10. Do a play in community theatre at least once every few years.
11. Stay in shape for forever.
12. Read more about & practice Buddhism.
Career
1. Work in L&D for one year.
2. Go to school and become a nurse midwife.
3. Be part of a nurse midwife practice.
4. Publish a book.
5. Work/Volunteer in a third world country.
6. Stay at an ashram in the Himalayas for a month and become a Yoga teacher.
7. Teach prenatal yoga.
8. Get my bachelors degree.
9. Get my RN license.
10. Work as a student nurse tech.
11. Work at a college research lab.
Travel
1. Travel through Australia
2. Travel through New Zealand
3. Travel through Central America
4. Ancient Incan Ruins – Macchu Piccu.
5. Ancient Mayan Ruins.
6. Travel through South America
7. Pacific NW – Portland/Seattle
8. Alaska
9. Hawaii
10. Travel through Asia
11. Travel through Africa
12. South Africa – Capetown
13. Galapagos Islands
14. Great Wall of China
15. North and/or South Pole
16. Rome & Vatican City
17. Eat pizza in Italy
18. Visit the Blue Grotto.
19. Sweden
20. Denmark
21. Circumnavigate the globe.
22. Ireland
23. Scotland
24. Northern Lights
25. Redwood Forest
26. Crete – Palace of Knossos & 27 mile mountain race.
27. Go to Berlin & see holocaust museum & concentration camps.
28. See Stonehenge.
29. See the Pyramids.
30. Wine tour in Bordeaux.
31. Go to Bath in England.
32. Stay in the Ice Hotel.
33. San Francisco.
34. Go to all 7 continents.
35. Pompeii.
36. Cherry Blossoms in Japan.
37. Go into space.
38. Istanbul.
39. Cairo.
40. Roadtrip through central/eastern Europe with Paul after contract ends.
41. See the Statue of Liberty.
42. Niagara Falls.
43. Spain
44. Greece (Athens – Acropolis) & Islands (Santorini)
45. Float on the Rhine River
46. Portugal
47. Germany
48. Ski in the alps.
49. Traverse from France to Switzerland over the Alps via snowboard.
50. See Paris, the Eiffel tower & Versailles.
51. Go to Amsterdam.
52. Go to Oktoberfest
53. Successfully gambled in Las Vegas.
54. See broadway shows in NYC, eat fresh bagels, go to Little Italy & see Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas.
55. See Hampton Palace (Henry VIIIs last standing home)
56. See Canterbury, England.
57. Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Old Faithful.
58. Grand Canyon.
59. See all of the important sights in Washington DC.
60. Jamaica.
61. Key West.
62. Cape Cod
63. Disney World
64. Disney Land
65. White Sands, New Mexico
66. California
67. Sedona, Arizona
68. Centennial, Wyoming
69. Savannah Georgia.
70. See the Chateauxs in the Loire Valley (Chambord, Chenonceau & Villandry).
71. Have a bratwurst in Frankfurt.
72. Have Paella in Valencia.
73. See the sunset from the Sacre Couer in Montmartre.
74. Ouray, Colorado.
75. Indian Burial mounds in Iowa
76. White Cliffs of Dover
77. Heidelberg Christmas Market – Had Gluhwein.
78. Charles Dickens Christmas Festival and Market in Rochester, England.
79. Brussels
80. Bruges – Disney Ice Sculpture Festival. Slid down a slide made of ice.
81. Went skiing in Garmisch.
82. Saw & hiked around Neuschwanstein
83. Monet’s House & Garden at Giverny
84. Pere Lachaise
85. Went to Barcelona and saw the church and a Gaudy house/park.
86. Villers La Ville Abbey
Adventure
1. Hike the Colorado Trail
2. Climb Kilimanjaro
3. Climb Rainier
4. Travel to Everest Base Camp
5. Run a 50 mile ultra.
6. Run a 100 mile ultra.
7. Get really good at snowboarding.
8. Hike up an active volcano.
9. Do a triathlon.
10. Do an Ironman.
11. Learn to surf.
12. Learn to sail.
13. Raft down Colorado River.
14. Trek through the Amazon Rainforest.
15. Explore Amazon River.
16. See the Nile River.
17. Climb Mt. Fuji.
18. Climb Mt. Vesuvius.
19. Scuba the Great Barrier Reef.
20. Scuba in the Red Sea.
21. Scuba in Fiji.
22. Fly in a hot air balloon.
23. Ride an elephant.
24. Skydive.
25. Hike the Grand Canyon.
26. Hangliding.
27. Parasailing.
28. Swim with dolphins.
29. Go whale watching.
30. Go dog sledding.
31. Float in the dead sea.
32. Ride a camel in the Sahara Desert
33. Fly a glider/plane (just for a minute)
34. Dance all night in Ibiza.
35. Go on a Safari.
36. Do a 5K Color Run.
37. Do a Tough Mudder Run.
38. Do an epic transcontinental train ride.
39. Experience Zero-Gravity.
40. Ride a horse alone on a trail through the woods.
41. Run the Koln Marathon.
42. Run the Rome Marathon with dad.
43. Rockclimb in Kalymnos.
44. Climb Pike’s Peak.
45. Scuba dive a shipwreck.
46. Rockclimb 14 pitch climb.
47. Run a half marathon.
48. Run a marathon.
49. Birthday float trips.
50. Jump off cliffs into the water.
51. White water rafting.
52. Jump off Ropes into the water.
53. Swim underneath a waterfall.
54. Ride a horse on the beach.
55. Eat a fresh coconut chopped down while hiking.
56. Learn about Jamaican herbal medicine from a guide.
57. Learn to kayak.
58. Kayak out to an island to watch fireworks.
59. Take a three month road trip by myself through the US.
60. Ski since age 4 and learn to ski moguls.
61. Stay in a house in Savannah Georgia and play in the Ultimate Frisbee field/beach tournament.
62. Live on a boat for a couple of weeks.
63. Pick apples at an orchard.
64. Drive a Jet Ski.
65. Learn how to wakeboard.
66. Drive a Snow Mobile.
67. Go Cross Country Skiing.
68. Go to a topless beach
69. Go to a nude beach
70. Go to a European Spa.
71. Hang out with a lemur on my shoulder/hand.
72. Oberstdorf Half Marathon
73. SHAPE Half Marathon
74. Koln Half Marathon
75. Take 35 mile bike rides along the Katy trail from Columbia to Cooper’s Landing.
76. Ski at Vail.
Unique things
1. Play capture the flag as an adult.
2. Perform music on stage (not Karaoke)
3. Be part of a flash mob.
4. Live/work on a family farm for a few weeks.
5. Have a dog again.
6. Have fruit trees/bushes.
7. Have a fireplace.
8. Have a sunny window seat.
9. Have a hammock/porch swing.
10. Have a big role in a musical.
11. See Cirque du Soleil
12. See Wicked.
13. See David Sedaris speak.
14. Visit HP Studios.
15. Go to the Moulin Rouge & see a show.
16. Work as a barista in a local coffee shop.
17. Be a bartender.
18. Go Paintballing.
19. Work at a fancy restaurant and learn about food and wine.
20. Make my own pasta.
21. Be in a Parade – True/False.
22. Be in a commercial (El Paso)
23. Race my car on the highway.
24. Drive on the autobahn.
25. Go to a corn maze.
26. Watch Charlie Brown at Ragtag before Christmas.
Events
1. New Orleans for Mardi Gras
2. Burning Man
3. Olympics
4. Day of the Dead in Mexico
5. Holi Color Festival
6. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
7. Go to Comic-Con
8. Tomatina Festival in Spain.
9. Have an all access pass to True/False film festival
Love & Family
1. Give birth.
2. Have two children at least.
3. Be an exceptional mother.
4. Always be in love.
5. Be a good partner.
6. Be positive, patient and grateful.
7. Get married.
8. Go to Ladd family retreat every couple of years.
9. Find the one and fall madly in love.
10. Put a love lock on the bridge in Koln.
11. Have an amazing group of friends.
12. Be an active part of my community.
Service
1. Volunteer with marine mammals.
2. Help friends do what they want with their lives.
3. Work as a midwife in a third world country.
4. Mentor other midwives/nurses/nursing students.
5. Volunteer at a Children’s Hospital.
6. Volunteer at a therapeutic equine center for people with autism.
7. Spend time at a homeless shelter.
8. Work at the VA.
Places to Live
1. In a Ski town.
2. Boston or New York.
3. In a small, cozy efficient house.
4. In a hut or treehouse.
5. In the mountains.
6. On an Island.
7. Live in Europe for at least a year.
