I just posted a Harvard Business Review article on Facebook entitled, If You Don't Prioritize Your Life, Someone Else Will. This article, published yesterday, begins with a quote by Mahatma Gandhi and speaks strongly to the philosophy by which he lived his life, "A 'no' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
The article goes on to discuss a specific example, where Gandhi applied this to his life, and a specific example where the author tried to apply this to his life, but failed….miserably! (Agreed to a client meeting a few hours after his wife had just had their first child….due to feeling pressure and not wanting to 'look' bad in-front of his clients and colleagues.)
It's really a great article that goes into why people prioritize unimportant things (in the bigger scheme of things) over others and how to avoid falling into those traps.
The article concluded with the following statement:
"Saying "yes" when we should be saying "no" can seem like a small thing in the moment. But over time, such compromises can create a life of regrets. Indeed, an Australian nurse named Bronnie Ware, who cared for people in the last 12 weeks of their lives, recorded the most often-discussed regrets. At the top of the list: "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."
"When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it."
This article confirms that I am doing the right thing by joining this Bucket List Club. My sister mentioned it to me yesterday and I jumped on it with open arms. The rules of the Bucket List Club are as follows:
1. Fill out the life expectancy calculator questionaire at the following website: www.livingto100.com/calculator
2. Based on your results (my life expectancy is 88) decide how old you want to be when you are ready to just relax and not have to worry about 'trying new things' and accomplishing new goals (I decided on age 80).
3. Take the age you have decided on (80 for me) and subtract it from the age you will be on December 31st of the current year (34 for me). This will equal the number of items you are required to come up with for your bucket list (80-34=46 for me)
4. Create your bucket list (things you want to do, places you want to go, people you want to see, etc…. before you die).
5. Plan a date for the end of the year when everyone in the Bucket List Club will meet to share and discuss their bucket list, as well as strategize what they will begin working on for the coming year.
6. During the year, try to stick to your plans. Try to work to complete one of your smaller list items and atleast start on one of your longer-term items, because…..
7. At the end of each consecutive year, a new Bucket List Club meeting will be planned. You must have completed at least one Bucket List item each year, which you can cross off the list at the meeting.
a. If you overcome a major change in your life, you are encouraged to re-take the life expectancy quiz and update the number of items that should be listed on your bucket list.
b. If your priorities change in your life, you are allowed to "exchange" bucket list items by replacing an item that is no longer a priority/desire of yours with something that is more in-line with the new you!
So far, my Bucket List Club consists of 3 people and is a by-invite-only club. We are trying to keep our member numbers intimate and low, so if you have not received an invite, please feel free to start your own club and share your experiences. For my fellow club members, lets get started! Year-end will be here before we know it and I'd like to do our launch meeting BIG! Any and all ideas and suggestions are welcome! J
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