I once had a goal to hike between the summits of 'The Lions' in British Columbia, Canada - that goal is now completed

Recently, I have read about a lot of people creating life time goals not daily goals in the form of a ‘Bucket List’ of one hundred or more goals they want to complete before they die or ‘kick the bucket’ as the saying goes. I shared this idea with a friend and she said “the goal of completing 100 goals regardless of what they are is a huge goal in itself” – “good point” I said and we chatted some more on the value of a ‘Bucket List’

Now I am a goal setter. One major part of my way of reducing stress and keeping healthy and fulfilled is to keep focused on what is important to me. To help me keep focused I use daily goals but I was curious to hear what an orignal thinker like my friend had to say about the value of a ‘Bucket List’

She said ‘goals must be more than a list of actions you want to take. They must have meaning’.

This comment stuck in my mind and recently when I saw the movie The Bucket List I heard Morgan Freeman ask Jack Nicholson in the movie two great questions:

Are you really happy with your life?

Have you really made other people happy during your life?

I find these very powerful questions that I can use to focus more in my life on the goals that are truly important.

Perhaps these questions can help you as well.

By the way, if you want to find out what I use to format my goals you can read this article on SMART goal setting and you can even request a copy of the simple goal reminder cards I have in my Free Resource section.

Enjoy a wonderful day,

David

By the way, if you are curious to learn about the movie (I like it) you can find more here on The Bucket List

Not to Do - Park here - that's a sidewalk!

‘The Not to Do List’ is an idea I remember reading about years ago long before I read Timothy Ferriss’s notes about The 4 Hour Work Week. If you recall another source of the idea before Timothy Ferriss’s book please help me out with an email to ‘remind’ my memory what was my original source.

The Not to Do List is exactly as it sounds. It is a list you keep beside your daily ‘To Do’ list to help you keep focused. The list contains actions that you want to avoid since they get you off track and out of focus and life just drifts away.

Here are some ideas you can use to create your list.

One

Avoid having the urges to answer every single phone call right away. Invest in a message center on your phone and schedule times of day you will check your messages. Please avoid answering the phone if you are in a meeting whether it is business or personal unless you have a wife who is expecting or someone you know is ill. Unexpected phone calls can really destroy your focus.

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Two

Avoid checking your email first thing in the morning. Set priorities that you want to accomplish every day and do them first then check email. You will also want to add Facebook and other forms of Social Media to this ‘avoid checking first thing in the morning’ list.

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Three

Avoid driving around town to save a few pennies on an item. Yes, price compare but do it online and even by phone on higher priced items but don’t burn your life away (and the earth’s fossil fuels) just to save less than you will spend in the process of driving around. If you do see a good price on a product you use often either buy several of them there and then and store them. Or make a note where you are at for the next time you are in the area to cash in on the special deal.

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Four

Avoid doing activities you don’t like. If you have a friend who likes to jog and you detest jogging don’t jog  ride a bike beside them, skateboard, rollerblade find something you like to do on their route or meet them afterwards for a swim or a refreshing drink.

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Five

Well, I sense you have the idea only you know what you need to put on your ‘Not to Do ’ list. Now take your ‘To Do’ list and write a note to make your ‘Do Not Do’ List today.

Your friend on the journey,

David

P.S. If you would like to read more about Timothy Ferriss’s book The 4 Hour Work Week there are almost a thousand reviews on Amazon. Find out details via this link to The 4-Hour Workweek

What is interesting about many of our social activities, according to more and more scientific research, is that they are contagious so if you want to make a habit of something new, you need to spend time with people who can infect you with the positive behaviour you desire. If you want to motivate yourself more to take better care of your health and to exercise start hanging around with a fitness fanatic. If you want to feel less stressed start making friends with people who are manage stress better than you.

Nicholas Christakis, a researcher at Harvard Medical School along with his colleague James Fowler have done extensive research on our social interactions relating to our health and wellness. Christakis calls our tendency to follow the healthy (or unhealthy) habits of friends ‘social chain reaction’.

It is worth noting that the chance of you being influenced by another’s healthy living behaviour (or you influencing them to embrace a positive behaviour) depends on whether you respect and value that person. They do not have to live close by they just have to be a person you respect enough to follow some of their actions. For example, you may have a friend in a different country who inspires you to try out a new diet program.

In one sentence, this emerging branch of social science reminds us that we can help nourish our health and well being more in the direction we want to go by spending time with people whose habits we desire to acquire.

Enjoy a wonderful day,
David

P.S. You can follow the link of the image below to read about Dr. Christakis  Award Winning (and Oprah recommended) book called Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

You can learn more about Dr. Christakis social science relating to wellness on his website located here.