Setting Lifelong Goals (AKA The Bucket List)

Over the course of the last couple of months I assigned myself a task. This task was to come up with 100 things, or goals, that I wanted to do in my lifetime.

These goals could be anything from financial goals, to travel goals, to living out childhood dreams. However, most of these goals relate to lifestyle design in one way or another. I did try to avoid the term bucket list because I find it a bit morbid, but that is the common term for this type of list.

Why Set 100 Goals?

So, why 100? Well, I had originally set the bar at 50 but I was able to list off 50 items a little too easily. Since I wanted this task to challenge me, I decided to raise the bar.

I moved the number up to 75, however, I reached number 65 in my first week. So I raised the bar again and set it at a nice round number — 100. I did find it a struggle to actually come up with 100 things that would be defining moments in my life, but I eventually got there.

Goal Criteria

These goals had to be specific and measurable. For example, something like get rich or be successful are not measurable. If I can’t measure it, then how do I know that I have achieved the goal.

A goal of see a lion in its natural habitat is a measurable achievement. It also means that at some point I will need to travel to Africa to achieve this goal. This is a goal that is the result of hard work because in order to finance the trip I would need to have achieved some level of success.

These are the types of goals that I have set out for myself. Now, this doesn’t mean that I didn’t set big goals — because I did — but 90% of them are attainable with some hard work.

I have also added a few items to this list that I have already achieved. You may that think this is a bit of a cop out since that means, from day one, I have items crossed off my list. Most people never have the chance to do some of the things that I have already done, which means, these are life defining moments.

What’s the Point of Setting Goals?

I think most of us all have things that we want to do in our lives but we don’t keep track of them. By putting my goals in writing, I am almost making a contact with myself.

I can keep looking back at these goals and seeing where I am in achieving them. If a year or two goes by and I am not crossing achievements off my list then I need to reevaluate where I am and what I am doing. Obviously, as my life goes in different directions some of these goals are going to change. I can accept that.

What are My Goals?

I am sure that at this point most of you are at least a little bit curious about what these goals are. I decided to create a dedicated page where I can keep a running tally of these goals. I also wanted to have it front and centre on this site so that it doesn’t get buried under future posts. So here they are: Matthew Hooper’s 100 Lifelong Goals.

I should also mention that as I was doing a bit of research for this list, I came across a couple of other lists that really inspired me. The first one is by Sean Ogle of Location180 and is found here. Another one by  Cody McKibben of Thrilling Heroics can be found here.

So, what are your goals? Is there anything that you think I should add or remove from my list? Post a comment below and let me know.
__________

Image Credit: cc licensed flickr photo shared by roberta zouain

Related posts:

1. Video Web App Idea aka “Watch Later” I can’t really code to save my life so that...