Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A 2011 Bucket List?!?

Can you have a bucket list for just a year? I’m not sure, but hey, why not?! I am hopefully not anywhere near dying, so a ‘kick-the-bucket’ list is a long way off. Still, I was thinking last night about things I would like to achieve this year, so why not make a list?
I have the advice of many wise people floating around in my head too – set realistic and achievable goals. It’s no good saying “I will lose 20 kilograms this year” because, while that might happen, it doesn’t actually verbalise how you will actually do that! It’s much better off to say “I will eat no grains or sugar” or “I will do 30 minutes of exercise every day” which is measurable, achievable and should, if done right, lead to that 20 kilo weight loss!
My 2011 bucket list will not just be weight/health related, though I’m hoping that some aspect of my life will be improved by achieving them (duh, otherwise what is the point!). So, here is my list for 20-11…

  • Eat no grains (this one starts on 3 Jan, as my previous post explained my unpleasant start to the year!)
  • Learn a musical instrument (at this stage, I think it will be guitar, though I could do always do something really unusual – bagpipes perhaps?!?)
  • Take a course in how to use my digital SLR camera (no point having it if I don’t get the most out of it!)
  • Grow and maintain a herb and veggie garden (this one can start when we move into our house on 15 Jan)
  • Learn pole dancing (I already have a friend on board to do this with me!)
  • Get a membership at our local pool and swim at least 3 times a week (our pool at home is not quite big enough to do laps!)
  • Start studying for my masters (the jury is still out about what my specialisation will be!)
  • Eat seasonally (no more ‘fresh’ strawberries in winter!)
  • Take a photo a day with my husband (an idea I read in some relationship magazine – this will have to start when I’ve discussed it with him!)
  • Learn basic sewing (this might have to wait until I have a sewing machine!)
  • Maintain this blog with at least one post per week!
Notice I haven’t numbered them. I don’t want this to become a tick and flick type list, and create that mental barrier that I have to complete number 1 before I do number 2 (especially since the eat no grains thing is a year-long attempt!).
I’m sure I will add to and/or change this list as the year wears on. I’d like to be able to look back at it regularly to remind myself of what I’m aiming for this year…. It will also be good to reflect on it at the end of the year and identify if any of these goals have led to other positive changes in my life. For example, I’m hoping the eating no grains and swimming will lead to some weight loss.  Possibly eating seasonally with a herb and veggie garden, and learning to sew will save us money! Who knows what else this could bring…
Now it’s your turn!

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