by Victoria Sambursky

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: January 15, 2009

In life, two things are certain death and taxes. Taxes are boring and pretty straight forward. Death however is scary, mysterious, and full of unanswered questions, especially the "when" question. But there is something you can try to do before it happens and that is - LIVE YOUR LIFE! Taking charge of your destiny is an idea that is sweeping the nation and the first step in living your best life is creating a "bucket list". A bucket list is a list of the things you would like to do, see and/or accomplish before you "kick the bucket". So how do you even begin such a daunting task? First, begin slowly, then as you start to accomplish the smaller goals create other goals that are even more ambitious. For example, say you would like to run a marathon but you work two jobs and are raising a few kids. The idea of running a marathon seems impossible. However, if you set a small goal such as running one mile one week, two miles the next and so on - in a few months the idea may not seem so ridiculous right? The trick to writing your bucket list is to start off realistically then move forward as each small task is accomplished. Now some people are bolder in creating their list. For example, they may want to sky dive or swim with sharks. Those are all well in good, but what if you have children or can't swim very well? Is the reward worth the risk? Only you know that answer, but remember we all need to walk before we can run.

You've created your list but keep hitting bumps in the road and feel like scrapping the entire thing. That is expected because life is complicated. The question then is, "How do I stick to my list?". A helpful way to stick to your goals is to join an on-line community like www.your100things.com, http://superviva.com/, http://www.43things.com/, http://reaperlist.com/ where you can create your bucket list, share your passions and feel support from others who are doing exactly the same thing. Everyone needs a cheerleader! Now you've joined the on-line communities but are finding that some of these tasks aren't feasible. For example, you want to learn ballet but you have a bad back and it just hurts too much, now what? Cross off that goal and move on. No one said this would be easy and we all have limitations. To combat moments of frustration in reaching you goals, write a list of things you have already done in your life even before making the bucket list. You'll be amazed at how much you've done and how wonderful you really are! Lastly, remember that even though the "things" we want to accomplish are important and fulfilling, in the end it's the people you share your bucket list with that ultimately bring you the most joy. So go ahead, begin your bucket list and start living your best life today!

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