I was challenged by Michael Hyatt’s podcast a month ago to write a bucket list of things to do before I die. Considering that people are more likely to accomplish what they write I thought “Why not?”. I think most of us have a small unwritten list in our heads, so we might at well write it to be able to look back at it every once in a while to see what we can mark off.
Now my list below is a combination of meaningful, silly, and ridiculous goals. Some are very specific (like #52) while others are vague on purpose. A quarter of them I have had in my head for some time and the other three quarters are ones I specifically came up with for this list.
Things to Learn
1. Learn how to play the Cello
2. Learn how to play the Guitar
3. Learn a second language
4. Learn how to ballroom dance with Amy
5. Learn how to sail
6. Learn how to ski
7. Become an expert on a famous person in history
8. Become an expert on a particular event in history
9. Learn how to tell stories effectively
10. Learn how to be a confident salesman (with integrity of course)
11. Learn how to do basic bookkeeping
12. Learn how to cultivate other people’s strengths
13. Learn 5 great magic tricks
Places to Go – Things to see
14. Go to Disney World – Done 5/26/18
15. Go to the Grand Canyon
16. Travel to 10 different countries in Europe
17. Travel to every state in the USA (what’s left)
18. Travel to Israel– Done 6/10/17 Adventure Trip With FIRM
19. Go to Legoland Done 4/12/21 Orlando Family Vacation
20. See the northern lights
21. See a Circ De Soleil performance
22. Go to Machu Picchu
23. Visit 6 of the 7 continents
To Do or Try
24. Start and run a business
25. Set up my own art exhibition
26. Create a secret room behind a bookshelf. Home office?
27. Never get divorced
28. Get elected to the school board
29. Memorize the book of James
30. Make a profit in mutual funds– Easy to start with wealthfront.com
31. Get a bachelor’s degree– Done 5/11/18
32. Get a master’s degree – Done 3/25/19
33. Teach Amy how to snowboard
34. Lead a tribe of 10,000+ people
35. Join a public speaking group
36. Sell handcrafted items online
37. Read the Christian in Complete Armor
38. Read a biography of every founding father
39. Own a home with no mortgage
40. Write a blog post every week for a year.
41. Win an award for a logo design
42. Save for retirement
43. Create an inheritance for my children
44. Teach my children how to be entrepreneurs
45. Homeschool my children Done 1/1/22 Finished First full year of homeschooling
46. Own rental property
47. Be invited to speak at a conference Done 10/4/21 – Spoke at the ABHE Enrollment Conference
48. Participate in all of the Jewish holidays at least once
49. Participate in the world’s largest food fight (the one in Spain)
Stuff to Create
50. Build a treehouse
51. Create a jewelry workshop
52. Create a classroom for my children that is built like a traditional art classroom, but used to teach every subject. The room should double as a home studio/office.
52. Write a book
53. Invent something that gets patented
54. Create a home library with comfortable furniture.
55. Design an original smartphone app
56. Write my own burger recipe book
57. Write and record a song
58. Design my own furniture
59. Create some of my own dishes and kitchenware
60. Assemble my own computer
61. Invent a board game
62. Make a movie with my children
63. Make a quilt of some of my children’s old clothes
64. Create an automated business that only requires 10 hours of work a week or less
65. Join a scout troop with my son(s)
Adventure
66. Run a marathon
67. Compete in a triathlon
68. Go on rafting down the Colorado River
69. Climb the Thompson River canyon with Amy
70. Ride a bike tour on a tandem bike
71. Go hiking in the Grand Tetons
72. Go backpacking in the Application Mountains
73. Go backpacking in the Cascade Mountains
74. Go windsurfing
75. Create a greenhouse
76. Get a tattoo
77. Skydive
78. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
79. Climb a 5.12-sloped wall
80. Go on a week-long (or longer) kayaking trip with Amy
81. Go on a cruise around the Mediterranean
Places to live
82. Live in Seattle for at least 3 months
83. Live in Kauai for 6 months
84. Retire in Colorado
Impacts to be Made
85. Lead a single mom outreach group
86. Adopt a child
87. Give away a million dollars (at a single time)
88. Be my daughter’s, first love
89. Go on a mission trip to India
90. Travel to Mozambique to see Iris Ministries
91. Go a whole year without watching movies or television
92. Spend at least 3 months involved in a house of prayer
93. Lead a discipleship group– Every year I have been a practical training supervisor at BGU to lead a discipleship group.
94. Strive to always have a discipleship partner
95. Read through the whole Bible at least 50 times
96. Raise all my children to be a sharp arrow for the Lord
97. Memorize Psalm 119
98. Baptize all my children
99. Work on the mission field overseas in some capacity for a year
100. Be known for having a vibrant prayer life
