This time of year is ideal for creating a bucket list! With a new month, a new year and a new decade, it is an opportune time to put aside an hour or two and capture the dreams you have for your life. Whether they be career, life, travel, family, health or something else entirely, the optimism and excitement that abounds at this time can be harnessed to create a wonderful and exciting bucket list.

I know this time of year is ideal for creating a bucket list, as 2 years ago, I didn’t have one. But in early January that year, I attended an event and the next day a friend shared that attending that specific event was a bucket list item for her. And that comment inspired me to create my own bucket list.

And now, with two years passed since I created my bucket list, it felt timely to share with you the impact having a bucket list has had on my life.

Let’s revisit; what is a bucket list?

A bucket list is not necessarily something to write when you are elderly, or facing an illness. Despite much focus on bucket lists being something that older people write (hello Hollywood movies), I prefer to think of a bucket list as a dreams list.

To create my bucket list, I did a little bit of research, and then just started dreaming! I thought about what was missing in my life and what I would like more of. I thought about what I love to do, and things that would give me a sense of achievement, purpose, happiness or that would simply be fun.

Changes since that time

When I first wrote my bucket list, I thought it was just a bit of fun. It was an exercise that helped fill a few hours during long school holidays when I was keeping the kids entertained and off devices/screens. We sat down and created our bucket lists together.

The biggest change I have noticed, is in my overall sense of well-being. Put simply, having a bucket list and gradually marking things off it has boosted my happiness. As the very act of creating and thinking about my bucket list items, has meant a renewed focus on ensuring I actually do some of the things I have been dreaming about.

Having a bucket list has also helped provide clarity and a sense of confidence when I am feeling unsure about what to do in my life next. Whether that be inspiration for our next family holiday, or courage to do something out of my comfort zone.

Benefits of a Bucket list

Lesson 1 – Identify your values and what is missing from your life

The very first thing I realised when writing my bucket list was that the activities all came to me first with the things I had at that time.

As a parent, a number of my bucket list items include sharing experiences with my family. And at the time of writing my bucket list, I was dreaming of travel and so travel related items appeared frequently on my bucket list.

It is also possible to theme your bucket list. For example, after I brainstormed and added as many items as could think of to my list, I reviewed it and grouped items into themes. For example, my themes are; general, travel, creativity/business, food/drink, health/beauty.

Writing my bucket list and noting the themes that came up was the first step to identifying that I wanted make some changes in my life. Not necessarily in a big way, but small tweaks to break up our regular routines and/or increase the enjoyable and fun things we have to look forward to.

Plus, another of the benefits of a bucket list is the gentle, but constant reminder to step back towards what you value and not away from it. Many of us lead full lives with multiple demands on our time. A bucket list can help focus you on what you truly value rather than finding yourself occupied with tasks and activities that are not aligned with who you desire to be.

My learning here was that a bucket list can provide insight into our values, what has been missing in our lives that we would like more of and act as a tool to encourage us to be aligned with our values.

“Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.”

— Thomas Carlyle

Lesson 2 - Stretch your comfort zone and boost your confidence

This has been one of the biggest benefits of a bucket list. A few of the items that made it onto my list were quite ‘out there’ and not what the majority of my family and friends expected of me.

As a teen and into my mid-20s I was adventurous and travelled extensively on my own, but with parenthood and other responsibilities, adventure and stretching myself beyond my comfort zone had taken a back seat. However, by adding items to my bucket list that would push me beyond my normal activities, I actually did them and as a result, boosted my confidence.

For example, completing a high ropes course. This was something we did as a family. They all were excited to do it, but were surprised when I said I would join them. But I loved it! My muscles were sore for days later, but it really pushed me beyond my comfort levels and then I felt amazing for a few weeks afterwards.

Similarly, as a family we went indoor skydiving. When I first mentioned this was on my bucket list, everybody who knew me was shocked. They thought I was crazy and unlikely to go through with it. However, go through with it I did. And it was fun! However, I don’t feel I need to do it again. 😉

If you challenge yourself, you will grow. - Sir Richard Branson

The learnings here were simple; the benefits from stretching ourselves beyond our comfort zone last longer than the activity itself. And when we do something that tests us, and accomplish it, we boost our self-confidence.

What might you tackle to stretch beyond your comfort zone? How would a boost in self-confidence potentially benefit you?

Lesson 3 - Embrace Opportunities

Another benefit of having a bucket list, especially an extensive list, is the gentle reminder it provides to say yes and embrace opportunities when they are presented.

Having a bucket list has at times been the impetus required to attend an event that otherwise I may have avoided. Particularly in a work or career space, knowing I’ve got a bucket list item related to an event or outcome, can act as a form of external accountability.

For example, when I put on my bucket list ‘Complete a Color Run’, I thought it would be an item for years down the track. But because it was on my list, when I saw an advert for it online, I felt the gentle nudge to click through, register and then do it.

In the past, I often said no to certain requests, and then felt a little regretful I didn’t at least try to make it work. I had previously felt like this, but having a bucket list has helped me say yes to opportunities that are aligned with what I want more of in my life. Having a bucket list has meant I overcame perceived obstacles in order to embrace opportunities when they arise.

The key learning here has been that many of the perceived obstacles preventing me from taking up opportunities, are in my mind. With a bit of focused effort, nearly all obstacles can be worked around or resolved.

How about you? Are there times when you say no to opportunities because it feels too hard?

Lesson 4 – Appreciate and be grateful for the life you have

One of the biggest benefits of creating my bucket list has most certainly been a reminder of how wonderful and full my life has already been. Through the small amount of research I did when initially creating my list, I realised that many of the things I had already done in my life were bucket list items for other people. This was a fantastic reminder to acknowledge and celebrate my achievements. As is common with many women, and as my clients also admit, we are often hesitant to celebrate what we have achieved. With a forward focus, we can be so driven by the next big thing, we rarely pause to reflect upon what we have already accomplished and celebrate along the way.

When we realise that things we have done as part of our normal life appear on other people‘s bucket list, our perspective shifts, and helps us appreciate the life we have. It also can be cause for celebration! Taking even 30 minutes to look back and consider the things you have achieved or accomplished and recording them on your bucket list in order to check them off, gives a (nerdy?!) sense of satisfaction. But it’s also a great reminder to appreciate ALL of the components that make up our life.

How about you? Do you pause, reflect and celebrate on your past achievements and accomplishments? Do you look back at the things you have done in your life and marvel at how much you have already accomplished?

So there you have it, 4 huge learnings - all because I dared to dream, create a bucket list and now use it as a guide to support me living a life that I love.

Move beyond your comfort zone and embrace opportunities

Whilst bucket Lists are great fun, another key way I support myself to move beyond my comfort zone and embrace opportunities, is through membership of a Mastermind.

Once a month I meet with 2 lovely business women, who like me, run their own business whilst raising their family. We meet for 2 hours and share challenges and wins from the previous month, as well as what we want to achieve for the coming month.

These women inspire me, challenge me, support me, and most importantly, they have my back - we give each other genuine and direct feedback designed to help all of our businesses grow and encourage each other to embrace opportunities and approach things differently.

Whilst our meetings are a significant time commitment each month, it’s time well spent. Why? Because through the friendship, support and accountability we each gain greater clarity about what we desire and the confidence to make it happen.

If this resonates with you, and you’re looking to have support to stretch your comfort zone, gain greater clarity, feel more confident, and would enjoy the regular support and accountability offered by a group of like-minded women, then my new Clarity and Confidence Mastermind might be right for you. You can learn more about the Mastermind here.

Learn more about the Mastermind