I have just recently been told about a rather interesting concept that is apparently all the rage. It's called a Life List and the idea is that you make a list of all the things you want and then work toward them.
It's fun, it's free and it's easy to do. If you are bored and have nothing to do for an hour or two why not give it a try?
Apparently making a list of things you want to do in life is the best way to achieve your goals and aspirations and the list will inspire you to go on further and improve your life and even make you a happier person.
This actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Writing lists such as shopping lists or things to do lists do work well. The list helps you remember and you work through it to achieve a result.
With that in mind then making a Life List could in fact help you achieve your life goals. The methodology is that you make a list of things you want to accomplish, work through them one by one and then tick them off when you have accomplished them.
These can be big things such as learning a language, going back to school or getting a new job, or they can be small things like reading a certain book, watching a specific movie or cleaning out your wardrobe. Your list can be as long or as short as you like, you can add to it whenever you want and it can contain absolutely anything that you want to do.
Making a list will help you to focus by giving you more tangible goals. A list gives you direction; you can see what you want and what you have to do to get it. The list can be fun, inspirational and motivating and could help you achieve something you never thought possible. Your list can be your secret, no one has to ever see it or even know about it, or some people like to share their list, and their progress, with others so that other people can gain inspiration and support from it.
There are many websites dedicated to this subject and they can offer you plenty of tips about writing your own Life List. Some of these sites are social networking sites where you can list your goals on-line and share them with others;
43things.com or
My Life List.
One very interesting website is
The World's Greatest Goal Achiever. It's about a man called John Goddard, who wrote an amazing Life List of 127 goals at the age of 15 and then set about achieving them. Most of the things on his list are quite astonishing; exploring rivers, climbing mountains and writing a book, but it's interesting to take a look at his list.
Make Your Life List
So, how do you make your Life List?
There are no real rules to making a Life List but there are perhaps a few guidelines.
You can record your Life List on-line, on your computer, or in a note book.
• List things that you want to do – some important and some frivolous.
• Work through the list – at your own pace - no time limit.
• Tick items off the list when you have achieved them.
Think hard of all the things you want in your life and all the things you have ever wanted to do. As you work on your Life List you might think of other things that you have never considered before.
• You can add to or change your list at any time.
• There is nothing 'too big' or 'too small', and no 'right' or 'wrong' things to put on your list. It's your list, you can put anything you want on it.
• Use bullet points instead of numbers because no one of your goals is more important than any other.
• In some cases it might be a good idea to make a micro list, or mini list, of things you need to do to achieve one of your Life List items.
• When you accomplish a goal, date it so that you can remember what you've done, and it will motivate you to do more.
• Make your goals as specific as you can so you can keep check on and know when you have achieved your goals.
• If you have a big goal, keep notes so you can see how you are going.
• It doesn't matter how old you are, you can still make a Life List.
When you have started your Life List you are ready to begin working towards achieving your goals.
• Figure out what you want.
• Figure out what is stopping you getting it.
• Figure out how to get over these obstacles.
• Figure out how to get what you want.
These are of course only guidelines to making your Life List. Just have a go and see where it takes you. Socrates once said 'The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living'. So perhaps think about making that Life List, what have you got to lose? In 20 years' time you might regret the things you haven't done more than the things you have.