Why I wrote a Bucket List and why you should do the same

I reached a plateau in my motivation. It was quite annoying. Yes, this highly motivated individual suddenly saw herself not waking up early, not doing her daily ritual daily. I argued that I was tired. My daughter was ill for a week. Her night cough was at fault. It was so easy to blame her of my lack of energy. It was not lack of sleep or energy what I had. It was lack of excitement, joie de vivre, motivation…

I had bought a “Bucket list” notebook for my husband and I. I had the idea of coming up with lovely things to do together. The notebook was untouched for months. I was waiting for the right romantic moment to fill it up together. With two kids and two businesses, our romantic moments have been lower in our list of priorities. Yes, again I was blaming the children and work.

This past week one good morning I decided not to follow my daily ritual, but instead started filling in my bucket list.

The very first entry in my bucket list is to live vibrantly, healthy and happy at least until my 120^th birthday. This is something I’ve been desiring for years, maybe even from my childhood. When I was 10 I joined a very special club: “The Accumulated Youth Club”. Her president was my friend Elenita Macías. She organized parties very often in her home. She danced, she sang, she was the center of the party. She left us when she was 114. Needless to say, she made a huge impression on me. She’s the happiest elder I’ve ever met. I want to be like her.

Mmmmh! But how do I fill all those 73? How does happiness look like for me?

With so much time to love, to serve and to dare, it was easy to write wonderful projects to undertake. I starts slowly and carefully. As the list grew, my speed of creation accelerated. My energy and motivation intensified.

While I was writing I could see developing an exciting image of my life. The life of my dreams was on those pages. With each one of those concrete projects, I could see my relationships grow, I could see my skills develop, I could see my sense of possibility expanding, I could see my life getting fuller and fuller of meaning, joy and contribution. This exercise is the ultimate love, service and daring exercise.

If you are like me feeling slightly unmotivated, think about concrete answers to these questions,

Which projects would you like to complete?

I want to write so many books: one about love and money, one about psychopaths, one about dysfunctional families, one about the benefits of entrepreneurship in peace and progress; I want to exhibit my paintings, found a foundation to care for orphan girls.

What experience would you like to enjoy with your loved ones?

Besides amazing parties for my 50, 100 and 120 birthdays, I would like to show the Rocky Mountains to my children, I would like to take my daughter to the ballet, I would like to take my son to the show of Freek Vonk, I would like to travel around the world with the entire family for a year, I would like to go for a 90 year old birthday journey with my mother.

Which skill would you like to master?

Ask for help (delegate, outsource), fluency in French, Portuguese and Italian, photo reading, vinology, play the piano, sing, diving, play chess, belly dancing, flamenco, aikido

What would you like to see with your own eyes, smell with your own nose, feel with your whole being?

As I cannot meet Peter the Great of Catherine the Great, the next best thing is walk in their city and their palaces: got to Saint Petersburg. I would also love to meet the XIX century Blanca Vergara, so I have to be OK with visiting her creation: her Viña del Mar villa, in Chile. Obviously my list of places to go is very long.

Which qualifications would you like to have?

I would love to go through the rigors of earning and PhD, a yoga teacher certificate, Cordon Blue cooking diploma

Which acts of kindness would you like to make?

I want to help 88 entrepreneurs via Kiva, I want to build a school with Pencils of Promise, I want to help an African village have clean water, volunteering to save the elephants, the koalas, the nutrias, the Mexican woods.

Which one of your heroes you would like to meet?

Elon Musk, Max Verstappen, Jesse Klaver, Gael García Bernal

What would you like to have?

An off the grid 100% sustainable beautiful house, more passive income that fixed costs (be financially free).

Which pick experiences would you like to have?

Ice swimming, fly a helicopter, drive a huge truck

In what kind of ventures would you like to invest in?

Nisandeh Neta’s Biz Kaizen, the Ocean Cleanup, biodegradable substitutes of plastic, sustainable fashion

What new habits would you like to honor?

Read a book a week, make a random act of kindness daily, eat less meat, take sugar out of my diet

You won’t believe the energy I had after I finished my first draft. Wow! I was so enthusiastic. I keep coming up with ideas. My positivity was so contagious that my husband started making his own list. His energy added to mine, so I started implementing: I called a couple of Personal assistants to see what I can outsource, I started reading an intimidating thick scientific book, I paid the coffee of a stranger and more. Even more, I was able to reestablish my daily habits with huge enthusiasm and motivation.

Do I recommend this? You bet!

No matter how motivated and enthusiastic you are. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t share with me my desire to live beyond 100. Think of how your day to day be if you add more vibrancy, more color, more love. Who doesn’t want that! I do!