What’s on Your Bucket List?

Female surfer in the tube of a breaking wave, Fiji

What’s on your bucket list?

I’m a big fan of having a LIFE list. Things you want to do before you die, but I’ve never been a fan of using the term bucket list but it seems to be on the edge of everyone’s lips: “what’s on your bucket list?” And, the more I travel, the more often I hear the question asked. So, I’m going to ask that question anyway. What’s o n YOUR bucket list?

For me, the bucket list isn’t so much of list of things to cross off and say “Yeah I did that once” It’s a list of things what you would make your like to look awesome today, tomorrow and every day. If you could create every day to be exactly the way you wanted it, what effect would that have on your life?

I just go back from a family reunion to Thailand for 8 days that was paid for entirely by someone else’s bucket list. Yes, the ultimate bucket list: a posthumous family vacation for 9. So, bottom line: leave a legacy! This was what my partner’s sister left in her will when she died, she left a provision for the whole family to take a vacation together. What a fabulous concept. One of her deepest wishes was to keep the family connections intact and continue to share very positive memories with all of us whether she was alive or not. And foster her desire for the family to continue living full, vibrant lives sharing and growing together. That has made me totally rethink my bucket list. And how I think about my own life.

I mentioned to my son the other day that I’d like to put something like that in my will. I picture my kids and brothers and their families renting a big villa somewhere and having copious quantities of great wine, a full time housemaid and full time gourmet chef avail to cook whatever they like. That sounds like the mini family reunion we had last year when 3 of my brothers, their families, and my mother rented a big house in Scotland for my daughters graduation. It was a great place where everyone could do what they wanted, but we all came together and had a fantastic party for an additional 30 people to celebrate her graduation from veterinary school.

I decided two years ago to sell my wine business and move to Tasmania to open up a meditation and retreat centre (yes it’s spelled that way in Australia.) and see how many people I could help along the way coaching them and their businesses to increased wealth abundance and more time to take vacations. And yes, I have decided to make everyday count. It’s not so much for anymore about traveling to exotic locations or bungee jumping off crazy bridges, but my bucket list is to connect every day with a family member. Every day to do some exercise so that I can feel good inside my body. Every day to do at least a short meditation to calm my mind and feel connected to all that is. And everyday to expand my mind in some way. My greatest bucket list is to live my life to the fullest each and every day.

Most business travelers I know who are forced to travel for work enjoy the great food and fancy hotel rooms but regret the time away from their family. But what if you had a leisurely month with the whole family in a villa in Tuscany and you did a little work on the side, over the internet checking in with your employees to make sure everything was flowing properly. What if you had assistants and virtual assistants could take of all that little stuff that makes you crazy and sucks your day away from you?

The ultimate item on my bucket list is about time abundance. It’s feeling an abundance of life in the time you have left. Aaah but what of the luxury of time when you’ve just found out you’ve got stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Not me, but a dear friend of mine was just diagnosed with that. What is on his bucket list? Spend time with family and friends and get to be with his dogs. Who really needs more than that? Who doesn’t want to create even more special memories with family and good friends?

So I ask you again, what’s on your bucket list? Please do me a favor and jot down 10 things on your bucket list and share some of them here. I’d love to hear.