I live by to-do lists, and by virtue of this habit, one of my guilty pleasures is tinkering with my ongoing bucket list. I have a perpetual fear of not "carpe-ing the diem" while I have time, health, and freedom, so I like to curate my bucket list in order to remind me to get off my ass and live my youth to the fullest.
I was introduced to two "Life Lists" in high school during the college admissions process (and during a Leadership class taken to fulfill a "practical art" requirement: go figure), and while they're about as cheesy as the "Wear Sunscreen" speech, they had a lasting impact on how I think about how I should spend my days on this rock.
Hugh Gallagher's College Essay
John Goddard's Life List
One of the fears that I think a lot of yo-pros have is that your life suddenly becomes a failure if you don't have your act together by age 30. Oddly enough, another fear is that you die at 30-- poof! life becomes not worth living and all you have to look forward to is the slow descent. I have put a stake in the ground that these fears are without merit, especially because 1) I will certainly not have my life together by 30, and 2) A lot of the kick-ass yo-pros in my life are 30+. Most of them are just getting started, and precisely because they're on the wrong side of 30, they're more knowledgeable, articulate, confident, well-traveled, and yes, even more attractive. Heck, Bethenny Frankel told me tonight on Bravo that she finally "made it" at age 40. So while the fear of my coach of youth suddenly turning into a pumpkin still lingers, I'm confident that life will in fact go on when the clock strikes 30.
But in order to light a little bit of that fire under my ass, I polled my friends and colleagues to give me one item from their to-do list before they turned 30, and the end result is the 30 Before 30 Bucket List.
(Video after the jump)
A few fun additions have come through since the deadline closed, including:
31. Develop my understanding of computers
*With a qualifier: "I've found that since graduating, I tend to peg my life less to age milestones, and instead have a constantly-updating 5-year plan. In the insightful words of the Gorillaz, "Time for me is nothing cause I'm counting no age.'"--> Did I mention my cousin dominates at philosophy?
32. Vegas!
...and ironically right after that, different source...
32. Lose my virginity
Oddly enough no one responded with "Get married," which is puzzling, considering that everyone and their mom (even my mom!) has invited me to their wedding this year. (Another post on "Everyone I know is getting married" soon to come). I'm beginning to think that my network is a bunch of free-wheeling swingers, workaholic career ladder climbers, and/or hippie Milennial hybrids who don't believe in the institution of marriage.
But I'm pretty happy with the list that came together here, and pleasantly surprised and inspired by the amazing people with whom I surround myself.
33. Keep making new fascinating friends (no time limit).
What is on your 30 Before 30 Bucket List?
I was introduced to two "Life Lists" in high school during the college admissions process (and during a Leadership class taken to fulfill a "practical art" requirement: go figure), and while they're about as cheesy as the "Wear Sunscreen" speech, they had a lasting impact on how I think about how I should spend my days on this rock.
Hugh Gallagher's College Essay
John Goddard's Life List
One of the fears that I think a lot of yo-pros have is that your life suddenly becomes a failure if you don't have your act together by age 30. Oddly enough, another fear is that you die at 30-- poof! life becomes not worth living and all you have to look forward to is the slow descent. I have put a stake in the ground that these fears are without merit, especially because 1) I will certainly not have my life together by 30, and 2) A lot of the kick-ass yo-pros in my life are 30+. Most of them are just getting started, and precisely because they're on the wrong side of 30, they're more knowledgeable, articulate, confident, well-traveled, and yes, even more attractive. Heck, Bethenny Frankel told me tonight on Bravo that she finally "made it" at age 40. So while the fear of my coach of youth suddenly turning into a pumpkin still lingers, I'm confident that life will in fact go on when the clock strikes 30.
But in order to light a little bit of that fire under my ass, I polled my friends and colleagues to give me one item from their to-do list before they turned 30, and the end result is the 30 Before 30 Bucket List.
(Video after the jump)
A few fun additions have come through since the deadline closed, including:
31. Develop my understanding of computers
*With a qualifier: "I've found that since graduating, I tend to peg my life less to age milestones, and instead have a constantly-updating 5-year plan. In the insightful words of the Gorillaz, "Time for me is nothing cause I'm counting no age.'"--> Did I mention my cousin dominates at philosophy?
32. Vegas!
...and ironically right after that, different source...
32. Lose my virginity
Oddly enough no one responded with "Get married," which is puzzling, considering that everyone and their mom (even my mom!) has invited me to their wedding this year. (Another post on "Everyone I know is getting married" soon to come). I'm beginning to think that my network is a bunch of free-wheeling swingers, workaholic career ladder climbers, and/or hippie Milennial hybrids who don't believe in the institution of marriage.
But I'm pretty happy with the list that came together here, and pleasantly surprised and inspired by the amazing people with whom I surround myself.
33. Keep making new fascinating friends (no time limit).
What is on your 30 Before 30 Bucket List?
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