Your Next Challenge

What do all these things have in common?

Run a marathon

Visit a foreign city

Dance in the rain

Learn another language

Learn to play an instrument

Swim with the dolphins.

Answer: They are all items you will find on many Bucket Lists. Don't have a Bucket List? There are several sites you can visit if you want to start one but don't know where to start. One list I visited had 10,000 ideas. The list was comprised of items from actual Bucket Lists submitted to them.

A Bucket List is nothing more than a goals list and like a goals list; it won't happen without some effort on your part.

I don't have a Bucket List but if I did, here are a few things that would have been on it that I could check off.

Go to college. This was a very big deal because my father didn't believe in college for women. No one in his family had gone to college. His sisters were both successful, one taught at a cosmetology school and the other was an executive secretary at a huge corporation. So why bother going to college.

I did manage to win him over and I got to go to college. It was a wonderful and rewarding experience. I did so well that when my sisters also wanted to go to college, he was 100% on board.

Design and build my own house. Okay, so I didn't do the little line drawing or nail pounding but I did paint the entire interior myself. It took over two years from meeting the Architect to moving in. It was an interesting and educational experience. I'm glad I did it once but once was definitely enough.

Own my own business. My grandparents owned a restaurant forever and my dad had his own auto body repair shop for several years. Even though I saw how had they had to work, I still wanted to own my own business. Laurel Mountain Basket Co has been in existence now for almost 20 years! I love what I do but I have to say my current boss is the toughest boss I have ever worked with.

Vic and I wanted to move to New Hampshire when we retired. We both love the mountains and the slower pace of northern New Hampshire. It was difficult leaving all of our friends and family and moving not only our home but Laurel Mountain Basket Co to a new location. It's been almost three years now and we absolutely love living here.

Elbert Hubbard (American writer, publisher, artist and philosopher) said, “A goal without a deadline is just a dream”. A Bucket List without effort is just a list on a piece of paper.

Want to run a marathon? Start training. I have a friend who wanted to run in a half marathon in support of the Cancer Society. She had lost her father to the disease and running in her father's memory was her way of honoring her father's life. She not only ran the half, she now participates in full marathons, triathlons and multi-day hundred mile bike rides, all in her father's memory and to raise money and awareness for the disease.

Want to visit a foreign city? Do the research, set a date and set aside a few dollars every week.

Some goals are much easier to reach than others, like dancing in the rain. The next time it rains, just do it!

Looks like it's time for me to take up my next challenge. I think this is going to be the most difficult one so far. I want to break 100 in golf. If you've ever played golf with me, you know that is going to be some challenge.

Love to hear what you've checked off you Bucket List and what your next challenge is.

List it and then go for it!

Marie

P.S Check out our new website at www.laurelmtbasket.com