Include These 5 Things in Your Life While You Still Can

That experience in front of you, have it. Please don’t tell me you stopped blowing bubbles.

Ever since the 2007 movie, The Bucket List, came out, people started talking about making their own bucket lists. The term “bucket list” has become almost as popular as the phrase that annoys me, “it is what it is.”

The value of the movie message was that we want to be thinking about what we can do while we still can actually do it. We need to live without regret.

Have an experience.

To help get you started, here are five things to include on your list:

One. Have a meaningful relationship with someone even if it’s a close friendship. There’s nothing like trusting someone completely and sharing who you are with someone without judgment. When you can have an open and honest conversation with someone, that’s a real friendship on fire. This type of person in your life will always make you smile. Loving unconditionally is priceless.

Two. If you have children, be so involved in their lives. It’s incredible to watch your child grow into an adult who makes you proud. There are a lot of lessons involved with parenting and those lessons can go both ways. If you don’t have children, consider being a life teacher to someone else’s child. Children need someone to look up to for guidance, advice, and trust. If you have spontaneous adventures, a child will never forget those experiences.

Three. Reach for success by working hard. Success doesn’t come easy. It might come more naturally for some while others have to work harder. Be a goal finder. Be driven. Don’t be afraid to switch careers if there is no joy in your present job. I know some people who did. They went to college and got a degree and a good job, but halfway through it, they found a completely different job. One person went back to school to become a nurse and the other went back to become a teacher. Me, well, I closed a 9 to 5 to write full time. No regrets.

Four. Read a lot. There are several reasons why reading is good for you. It helps to alleviate stress and in that it relaxes you, it can help you go to sleep. It also builds your vocabulary and if you’re a fan of non-fiction books like I am, you can learn so much. That adage of knowledge is power is true. Reading is great for your brain. Importantly, if you want to be a writer, you have to read to be a better writer.

Five. Go on a spontaneous vacation. Make a plan and go on a trip when you can. Don’t check office emails. Take a break from technology and explore. After all, a vacation means rest and relaxation. Another alternative is to make a list of a dozen things you haven’t done in the city where you live. For example, check out local sites where you live. They usually provide a list of things to do. You never know, there may be some places you’ve never heard of. Don’t forget museums. Those places are art heaven.

The reasoning behind making a list of things you want to accomplish is that you don’t ever want to look back over your life and have any regrets. Live with this in mind: no more regrets. And please don’t ever say, I can’t do that.

What are some goals you want to fulfill? What life adventures do you still want to have? Plan a road trip this summer but go somewhere you've never been.

It’s never too late until it is and while you're still here, it's not too late.

Make life happen. Have an experience, read a great book, be determined with what you want to achieve, teach a child a lesson, or call up that old friend.

© Cathy Coombs