I’ve learned that making plans for the future is a great motivator. People need hope and when your future is more compelling than your present, your spirit finds a way to get you there. It is hope for a better and a brighter future that keeps us from giving up. It is hope in the future that helps us overcome the greatest of challenges. This is why people who make goals often achieve them. Goal setters have a direction and a target for where their life is headed. They are not wasting time clueless as to where they are going or about what they want to create for their life.

Your Mind is a GPS

The mind is powerful and is like a GPS. If you give your mind a target, it finds a way to get you there. Like “magic” the right people, opportunities, and tools to make it happen appear. Your mind is like a ship’s rudder. With a rudder, the ship arrives to the desired port. Without a rudder the ship drifts aimlessly in the ocean with no route and destination, subject to the waves to take it any place. The same happens in your life. The role of the mind is to play the programs you give it. If you have a clear direction, your mind removes anything from your path that does not match the plan you wish for. This is why making plans and goals is crucial for your happiness.

My entire life I have been the kind of person who sets goals and creates bucket lists. I plan my day, my year and I make long term goals, five, ten or more years down the road of the things and experiences that are important for me to live before I die. This gives me structure, clarity, and a target to aim for. The best thing about setting goals is that they keep you accountable for the life you want to create.

Checking off the items you accomplish as you go along has you feel a sense of accomplishment. I have a glass jar in my office with the label that reads, “My Life’s Adventures.” In it, you will see many pieces of white papers that are folded. Each paper contains places in the world or adventures I would like to travel to and do. Each time I visit one, I remove it from the jar. Often, when trying to find a new location, with my eyes closed, I reach into the jar and pull the next location for my vacation.

Different Kinds of Bucket Lists

You can make any type of bucket lists. You can have one for foods you want to try, for places you want to visit, or for experiences you wish to have. You can have a bucket lists for yourself, for you and your significant other and you can even ask your children to create a family bucket list that you do together. It is wonderful when everyone plans and sets the same goals in life.

I have a list on my mirror of all the things I want to accomplish. I put it there so I can mentally see each day as a reminder of my projects. I often get more excited about checking off items than adding new ones. Some goals I’ve accomplished include:: running a marathon, scuba diving with sea turtles, visiting the ancient Inca temples of Tikal, doing Ayahuasca in the Amazonian jungles of Peru, floating on the Dead Sea, writing a book every two years, and growing my gratitude community.

Planning for your future without losing sight of the present moment is a powerful habit I urge you to practice. My advice is that you make as many bucket lists as you can because it will nourish your soul. Make short term ones and long-term ones. Share them out loud with your loved ones —that’s another way to keep yourself accountable. Bucket lists add spice and adventure to your life. It gives your soul the blueprint for the life you want to create. I believe that a person who has plans for their future and is excited about life, lives longer. People who have hopes and purpose are less depressed because the prospect for their days ahead are infused with thrill, mystery, and adventure. Studies conducted in 2019 and published on CNN Health showed that on average, people who were optimistic and happy about their future had an average of 11% to 15% longer life span than those what were pessimistic about their life.

Don’t wait. Right after reading this blog, write your bucket lists. Have fun with it. Make sure to write things that will push you out of your comfort zone and dream big!

As an added bonus for being a part of my community, I have made a few worksheets to get you started. Click here to download your sheets.

Give your mind the road map for the life you want to create. See it in your mind. Feel in your heart what it feels to already experience those things and your mind will find a way to get you there.

With gratitude, Waleuska Lazo,