George Elliot once said, "It's never too late to be who you might have been." Meaning, it's never too late to start chasing that star in the sky, reaching out towards your dreams, or just being happier in your life. You can do all these things by creating your own list of goals. You can call it a life list, or you can call it a bucket list, but the first step is to evaluate your life.
Ask yourself the following questions: What do I want to be known for? What kind of person would I like to be? How do I want to live my life? Then write down your answers.
Karen Reivich, Ph.D., co-author of "The resilience Factor" (Broadway Books) states, "being clear about its purpose will help prevent you from losing sight of why you're pursuing your goals in the first place." If the purpose of your goal isn't immediately obvious to you or anyone else, it will be hard for you to cross that accomplishment off your life list.
Mary Beth, as a child, loved to bake cakes in her little play kitchen. As she grew older, she experimented in her mother's kitchen, but in high school she lost sight of her love for baking. After a few years, and three kids later, she sat down and thought about where her life was taking her. She took a piece of paper and wrote on the first line of her list, Cake Decorator. Then she wrote items pertaining to her family life and friendships.
After Mary Beth sat down and wrote her life list, she looked at each line she wrote and determined how she could accomplish them. Under each line on her life list she wrote a sub line on the steps she'd take to accomplish the first line. She'd take culinary classes in the evening, and practice making cakes at home for friends and family. One day, she would open a cake decorating business, when the kids were older.
Mary Beth took a magnet and placed her life list on the refrigerator for everyone in her family to read. Posting her list in a place she'd see it often would help her to stay motivated and encourage the support of her family and friends. She felt confident; she had set goals for her life and wrote them down.
Once you, like Mary Beth, have created your life list, it's time to find people to inspire you. These people are your family, friends, or mentors who have already succeeded in accomplishing similar life goals from their own bucket lists. Nobody wants to "kick the bucket" before tossing in a few life goal accomplishments in before passing.
Celebrate the smallest of success and share it with those around you. One step on the rung, of the ladder to success, is an accomplishment in itself. Don't be afraid to ask for a little bit of help, encouragement, or a boost up to the next step of obtaining the goals on your life list.
It's never too late to get started chasing your stars and reaching out for your dreams. Why not get started today?