The Bucket List – a Process for Capturing Ideas for Your Life Goals List

The Bucket List is the title of a popular movie released in January 2008 starring two of my favorite actors, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It is bittersweet plot because these guys are dying of cancer, but it is also comical as they go about fulfilling the items on their list of what they wish to accomplish before they “kick the bucket.” The biggest lesson: Don’t wait, or waste, another minute! Make that list, clarify what is important to you, and start living a more fulfilling life.

Creating a life goals or bucket list is a continuing process. It is ever changing, morphing and growing as we check off items we have accomplished and add more to our lists as we change, morph and grow from those experiences. Ideas and flashes of insight and inspiration can hit you anywhere, at any time-an overheard snippet of conversation; watching children play or dogs interacting at an off-leash park; alone in nature or in the middle of a crowded concert hall; in your dreams or in the shower.

If you don’t have a system to collect these nuggets, some may be lost forever. Carry a small notebook, memo pad or a few 3″ X 5″ cards with you at all times to capture those great ideas before they slip away.

Whether it is a big “aha” moment such as while dining in a fine Italian restaurant with delicious food and atmosphere, it occurs to you that you’ve always yearned to visit Italy. Write it down. Or, it is an everyday reminder to pick up the laundry from the dry cleaners, write it down. For ease of sorting and putting these ideas or suggestions into action later on, it is recommended that you write one per page or card.

As for capturing those sleepy-time dreams, keep pen and writing material on your bedside table. And if you can’t wait until you are out of the shower to jot down your thoughts, there are waterproof boards and pens you can buy and hang in the shower. Really.

As Henriette Anne Klauser shares in her book Write It Down, Make It Happen, having a place to record your musings, and keeping it nearby with a pen, sends a signal to your brain that you are ready for its input. She writes: “Carrying a little book with you honors the ideas that come to you, and when you do that, the part of your brain that comes up with these suggestions will be so thrilled to get a little attention and respect that it will send you even more. You will become a hotbed of lively suggestions sparking your imagination continually.”

Susan Henderson is a coach/consultant/mentor who assists creative entrepreneurs to take that seed of an idea you’ve been holding close to your heart and sprout it into the business of your dreams. I will guide you through the steps in discovering your purpose and creating a life you can love. One that includes the values that are most important to you-things like independence, flexibility, integrity, and creativity. To find out how, please visit: http://www.susanhenderson.com