Every June my children create a Summer Bucket List. Well, actually we call it a Wish List. MyFriendStacy (yes, that’s all one word) calls it a Sand Bucket List. But it’s pretty much the same thing. The kids make a list of everything they want to do before school starts. Some of the activities are simple and fun; others take a bit of effort (not to mention cash) on my part.
Here are the things I love most about the list:
(Bear with me because I’m going to tell you how this will relate to your life and business)
1. It provides a goal, something to work toward.
Learning to surf is not a simple thing to check off the list…and we’re in the very early stages of learning so it will probably not be checked off for another year. But just having that goal gave my son something constructive to focus on this summer.
2. It requires structure.
During the summer when schedules are loose, the list gave us a reason to plan. A reason to think ahead and put something on the calendar (like a trip to the water park) so we wouldn’t wake up on September 1 and realize we hadn’t done anything we planned.
3. It celebrates accomplishment.
Don’t you just love that feeling of crossing something – anything! – off your list? When we completed something on the bucket list (no matter how big or small), it was a great day.
So when summer ends and the kids are back in school, guess what mommy does? You got it! I make a Mom Bucket List.
I write down all the amazing, challenging, outrageous things I want to accomplish in my life and business. I’m sure you’ve created strategies, goals, plans and other boring sounding documents…but if you haven’t made a Mom Bucket List, you are missing out on the fun!
What Should You Put on Your Mom Bucket List?
All of your dreams and goals and Big Picture Plans! Maybe you want to write a book…or learn a foreign language…or speak at a specific event…or create a website…or find an investor or sponsor…or start a prayer circle…or hire a staff member…or break 6 figures in income…or develop a professional relationship…or get a certification you need…or buy a piece of equipment…or launch a program…or develop a product…or finally figure out Twitter…or quit your day job…the list is endless. And it’s unique to you and your business or ministry. And it will give you a goal and a structure and a reason to celebrate for the rest of the school year.
Things to Remember About Your Mom Bucket List
1. Keep it in front of you.
My kids had their lists on the fridge so they could see them every day and remind themselves of what fun things were left on the list. If you tuck your Mom Bucket List away in a drawer or keep it in the pages of your journal, you might forget about it. So make it pretty and hang it up somewhere you will see it every day.
2. You gotta do the work, too.
I know you get this, but you can’t just write the list and slap it on your wall and hope it gets done. You have to take ONE item at a time – just one – and create the space in your day to work on it. And you have to work on it the next day, too. And the next day.
3. Feel free to change it!
Hey, there are no rules when it comes to a Bucket List. So if February rolls around and you no longer feel like writing 27 ebooks, then cross that off the list. (Yes, you can cross it off even if you don’t do it. Because you’ve actually accomplished something in the act of DECIDING not to do it! Doesn’t that feel great?)
Here’s a bonus tip – share your list with somebody!
There’s something about telling another person about your dreams that makes them “real.” So don’t be afraid to confide in a friend. Or better yet – share them with me and a community of Christian moms who can support and encourage you! Just leave a comment below and let us know what’s on your Mom Bucket List.
Copyright 2013 Theresa Ceniccola
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