I made a life goals list
with 100 items in the early days of this blog. Of course, whenever we make elaborate plans, we know they may be thwarted by plot twists— which is why some of us wouldn’t make a life goals list in the first place!
The poet Mary Oliver famously wrote,
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Revisiting my life goals list makes me feel hopeful and energized. Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m going to be happy and enjoy my life even if not one more of these things comes to pass.
There were a few items from the original list that I didn’t care about any more, or that were literally impossible now. You can’t hit the USA Today bestseller list if there’s no USA Today bestseller list, for instance! Hence the revising.
I challenge other bloggers to make their own life goals list…and if you do, link to mine so I’ll see it and comment on yours!
A lot of things on this life goals list may seem “unrealistic.” That’s because I am also “unrealistic” and have no plans on changing any time soon. Besides, you never know! For example…
I thought one of the most pie-in-the-sky things on this list was “be on a national talk show.” I laughed as I wrote it down. I mean, seriously. At the time, I was a random blogger and obscure writer in Prairie Village, Kansas. Why would I ever be on a national talk show?
Well, it happened a year after I made the list.
And while we’re at it…was it a coincidence that several things on my life goals list were in Southern California, and I wound up having to move to Southern California…where I’d never, ever planned to live? Be careful what you wish for, indeed!
I’m putting this back on my blog mostly for my own reference, but I hope you enjoy it, too! I was inspired by Jack Canfield’s book The Success Principles and the book 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, if you want to check those out…
And if you want inspiration for your life goals list, check out my interactive journal, The Book of Dreams Come True.
It’s filled with easy, creative exercises for self-discovery, making a fresh start, and, obviously, making your dreams come true!
If you’re thinking about things like this, you might also enjoy my roundup of “starting over” quotes for a new chapter in life.
My 100 Life Goals List
Visit Iceland.Visit Paris.- Visit Hawaii.
- Go on a cruise to a Caribbean island.
Visit London.- Visit Japan.
- Visit Dublin.
Visit Bryce and Zion National Parks.- Visit Denmark.
- Visit Budapest and Vienna.
- Visit Florence and Siena.
12. Visit Machu Picchu and Manu National Park.
13. Visit Acadia National Park.
14. Visit southern Spain.
15. Visit Alaska.
16. Visit Sequoia National Park.
17. Visit Joshua Tree National Park.
18. Visit Morocco.
20. Visit Switzerland.
21. Visit Mackinac Island.
22. Take in the Air and Water Show in Chicago.
23. Go to a Blackhawks game in Chicago. (This was on my list before I moved here!)
25.
26. Leave a server at a cheap diner a $100 bill as a tip.
27. Explore 10 trails or hikes on day trips. (I started on this one in California, but I lost the notebook where I wrote them down, so I think I’ll start over!)
28. Hike up Camelback Mountain.
29. Reach my goal weight and stay there for at least five years.
30.
31. Publish a book of poetry. (My MFA is in poetry, and I used to publish in literary magazines…but I haven’t written poetry regularly for years and years! It’s been calling me lately!)
32. Write a positive and inspiring blog post that goes crazy viral.
33. Publish something in the New Yorker.
34. Be a delegate for a presidential convention.
35. Make 20 good friends in Chicago.
36. Get a $2,000 monthly payment on my blog.
37. Read 50 books in a calendar year.
38. Learn how to give myself good manicures and pedicures.
39. Get into the habit of drinking plenty of water. (Why is this so hard? Haha.)
40. Learn how to do natural-looking false eyelashes expertly.
41. Learn how to do 5 hairstyles, including an updo and a French braid.
42. Truly celebrate all the holidays and special days for a calendar year.
43. Own an environmentally friendly luxury car.
44. Become a regular volunteer or advocate for kidney transplants and kidney health.
45. Complete 100 lessons of Duolingo French.
46. Be able to converse reasonably well in Spanish.
47. Self-publish another book for writers.
48. Publish a self-help nonfiction book and donate all the profits to charity.
49. Create or co-produce an awesome book trailer. (Here it is!)
50. Create a series of YouTube videos that go along with my blog or with a book. (I did 20+ videos for Blank Page to Final Draft!)
51. Win a contest or award for a book.
52. Be the author of 25 published novels.
53. Hit the New York Times bestseller list.
54. Have a proper, multi-stop book tour.
55. Appear on the cover of a national magazine—for a good reason.
56. Sell the TV or movie rights for a story. (My novel Her Knight at the Museum has been optioned for a made-for-TV movie!.)
57. Write a script that gets made into a movie.
58. Give a TED talk.
59. Get paid $2,000 to speak or teach a workshop. (Here’s another one that happened faster than I expected.)
Give a presentation and a reading at ConQuest.
61. Give a presentation at RWA.
62. Have $200,000 in my savings account.
63. Make one million dollars in a calendar year.
64. Own a nice house outright—without a mortgage.
65. See a meteor shower.
66. Celebrate New Year’s at a big fancy party, all dressed up.
67. Have an incredible birthday party.
68. Go to a nude beach.
69. Try horseback riding.
70. Try archery.
71. Do a random act of kindness every week for a whole year. (I have tried doing this for years and years. I always get behind!)
72. Teach a writing workshop at a mental health facility.
73. Become known for my positive outlook.
74. Become known for my sense of style.
75. Become known as an amazing gift giver.
76. Make a quilt for my sister.
77. Make a scrappy triple Irish chain quilt, hand-quilted, for us.
78. Be on a nationally televised talk show.79. Become a really good baker.
80. Meet a President (one I respect, current or former.)
81. Fly first class.
82. Go canoeing.
83. Try zip lining.
84. Ride in a hot air balloon.
85. Spend an entire day at a spa.
86. Memorize a poem.
87. Go to a drive-in with Mr. Donovan and make out.88. Go on a romantic date with Mr. Donovan every week for a whole year.
89. Keep a fairly consistent daily journal for 5 straight years.
90. Get a tattoo.
91. Host a fancy tea party.
92. Host a party on a rooftop.
93. Attend a charity gala. (I was there as a volunteer! It was a gala for the National Kidney Foundation.)
94. (private spiritual goal here)
95. Visit Aunt R. in SoCal again. (We wound up visiting dozens of times because we moved there and lived there for three years!)
96. Eat the best tacos in southern California. (I had so many, it’s hard to choose! But I’m going to vote for the vegan tacos with jackfruit carnitas at Gracias Madre.)
97. Do something fun with friends once a week for a whole year.
98. Become an excellent, empathic listener.
99. Establish or add to a forest or prairie preserve.
100. Live to be 101 years old.
Do you have a life goals list you’d like to share?
Or do you hate setting goals and/or making lists? Let us know about it in the comments! Thanks so much for reading, and have a wonderful week!
Wow that’s an impressive list. I used to travel a lot but have slowed down since I’ve retired. Once I deal with a pressing health issue (through surgery) I’d like to get my travel bug back again. I was surprised to see that you even have political ambitions. Maybe once your TED talk goes live you will find a huge following to get you into the political sphere?
Hi Naomi! I hope that pressing health issue gets solved really soon! Haha, I don’t talk much about politics on my blog, but I do get involved now and again. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Hi Bryn. You haven’t marked off number 98. “Become an excellent, empathic listener.” I don’t know anyone who listens better than you. If you need proof read back over your WIP Wednesday posts! Nobody does it better than you. Because of your encouragement I have begun seriously working toward publication. Give yourself credit where credit is due!
Jessie! Oh, that is so kind of you. You made my whole week! I really appreciate that. Thank you! And thanks for reading!
That’s awesome! I don’t have a full list like this, but I do have a few goals. Several have been checked off in the last couple of years. I bought my first house and recently became a foster mom to an amazing kid. My second book comes out later this year, and I took my first vacation. Lots of good stuff. I still want to visit Ireland. My biggest goal at the moment is probably a nap though. LOL.
Erin, WOW, you’ve done some very big things lately! Amazing. (And what a lucky kid to have you as a foster mom.) I hope you get to go to Ireland soon!
You’ve achieved #98. Trust me.
I think I have a long way to go! But that is so nice of you <3 <3
Bryn. You’ve inspired me! I’ve had some lifetime goals, and I’ve had a few items on a bucket list. None of them were terribly ambitious. As a lady of a certain age. I doubt I’ll manage to get all of them accomplished in this lifetime. Health issues slowed me down earlier than I expected
but who knows. I may surprise myself. The three goals I’m shooting for at this point are setting foot in each of the 48 contiguous U.S. states, reading the Bible front to back in 2023, and publishing a novel. I have the northeast states, Michigan and Wisconsin to visit yet. I’m almost halfway through the Bible, and I sent the first three chapters of a manuscript to an editor last week. I’m waiting on his reply.
I’m impressed with so many of your goals that benefit others. I’m thinking of making my own list of things I can do, some on a daily basis. You have inspired me! Thank you!
Hi Bonnie! Those are great goals! And congratulations on sending chapters to an editor—that’s an accomplishment in and of itself! I’m sending wishes for good health your way, and yes, you may surprise yourself 🙂 Thanks for reading, as always! I appreciate you!
Great life goals list!
denise
🙂 Thanks, friend!
An interesting list. However, this sort of thing is no longer possible for me – or at least, only a very brief one. I did make a vague “life list” after my husband died – I was only 76 at the time, and still active . It lacked specifics, but concentrated on the specific ways I would like to spend the remainder of my life.
Three days ago I turned 90, and increasing mobility issues have ruled out most of my planned activities (as I had expected). I can no long drive myself all over the country- On a good day, I I can just make it to the nearest Supermarket. For the same reason, photography has also taken a back seat. But I did have the forethought to include one activity that I can pursue from my chair at the computer – writing – especially writing fiction, which was a new genre for me. I have subsequently self-published three romances, and am half-way through the forth – and have written numerous short stories.
So I shall continue to write, and I shall continue to enjoy listening to good music (thanks to You-Tube, I am able to sample the works of composers new to me), and I shall continue to enjoy the company of my friends and neighbours; and I shall continue to sing opera in the shower; and I shall continue to do the few exercises that I can still manage, every day., But my one overriding aim is now “Carpe Diem” – Live for the Day. .
Anne, happy 90th birthday! And congratulations on the 3 published romances! I hope the 4th is going well. I love using YouTube for discovering new music, too! “Carpe diem” is one of my favorite mantras. Living for the day is more important than anything else! Thanks so much for reading, and thanks for commenting!
Hi, Ann. I hope you realize you are already amazing–and inspiring! Good job!