Throughout our lifetimes, there will be goals that we want to achieve in both our personal lives and our career activities. Lifetime goals can be things we work for over the long term – like achieving a high level promotion or writing and publishing a book – or things we wait a long time to do and then achieve in one day, like skydiving. 
Bestselling author and coach Tommy Newberry holds that success is no accident, but a planned event that we create by working methodically towards it. Crucial to this, he tells us, are tangible, specific goals in line with our personal purpose. Perhaps most importantly, we must write these goals down on paper.
“If you don’t have specific goals written down for your life, you are mentally malnourished. Your mind was designed to be fed with goals just as your body was designed to be fed with food and water.”
― Tommy Newberry, Success Is Not an Accident: Change Your Choices, Change Your Life.
The Bucket List
We all have dreams about things we want to achieve in life. A bucket list is a fantastic mental tool to help you focus on achieving those dreams. Just the act of creating a bucket list will change your thinking and orient you more toward success. Getting clear on what you want in life, and writing it down as a bucket list, is one of the most effective ways to set about bringing dreams to reality.
Psychologists have long understood that setting specific goals can increase your motivation to achieve. More recently, neuroscientists have identified that writing goals down makes us more likely to achieve them. This article from Forbes Magazine (https://bit.ly/32pCfHC) explains some of the ways that writing goals down boosts our chances of success.
How to get started with writing your bucket list:
- Start small – writing down the little things you want to achieve – such as starting a gym class or decluttering your workspace – and then ticking them off your list when they are done, can help build your confidence and motivation to tackle larger goals.
- Make use of tools and templates – to help you get started, there are plenty of bucket list tools and templates available online
- Make it special – treat yourself to a special notebook or wall chart to keep track of your bucket list goals and put it in a prominent place where you can be inspired and motivated every day.
- Be honest with yourself – when you are choosing items for your bucket list think about what you truly want for yourself, and don’t be swayed or put off by what other people might think of your goals – they are yours alone.
Categories of Goals
Some people like to categorize their goals when compiling a list. This can be helpful, but it is not essential. Categories can help give you some ideas on specific types of goals to include, and can also help you prioritize your goals later on.
There are potentially endless categories that could be used to sort your goals, and some may be unique to you as an individual. Here are some general categories that might be useful when putting together a list of goals:
- Family
- Learning
- Events
- Sports
- Spiritual
- Physical
- Mental
- Philanthropic
- Financial
- Possessions
- Skills
- Travel
- Political,
- Achievements / Awards
- Relationships
Exercise:
Making use of some of the categories listed above, and adding any of your own that apply, create a bucket list of 50 goals you would like to achieve in your lifetime.
