If you listen closely to the Bruce Springsteen song “Glory Days” it is about 3 folks who routinely get drunk and revisit their past. It’s true, memory lane is oftentimes full of great accomplishments and wonderful thoughts.
Let’s be real, we all have fond memories from both our professional and personal lives when everything was just clicking. So how should this impact us in our business lives today?
Do we look at each challenge and say, “I remember when this was much easier, our team was much better, and our product was hot?” As our roles in life change what drives us changes as well.
The bottom line is you should never lose sight of your bucket list.
Let’s visit some ways to keep your bucket list fresh and keep your #GloryDaysAhead:
- Lose the Paper: A 2014 mobile stat* says the average smartphone user has their device within reach 14 hours per day. If you have not started your bucket list, or you need to shake the dust off of it, consider building (or rebuilding) it using your mobile device as your note taker. Smartphones do an amazing job of dictation so it is easy to create memos and notes without having to type. Personally, I use a program called Evernote for all of my note-taking including my Bucket List. (*@equalman: Small Business Mobile Marketing 2014)
- Business & Pleasure: Your list does not have to focus on just personal items. It is okay to dream big from a business perspective as well. For many of us, business is what drives us, so why should we try to compartmentalize our dreams.
- Make it fun: Writing down dreams, goals, or even simple ideas should be fun. Remember, this is not a test and no grades are given. Scratch outs and deletions are okay.
- Do it now: Don’t wait to add it to the list. If you see something that you think might be list-worthy, write it down. You can always remove it later.
- Share it: Share your BL(BucketList) with your BFF(Best-Friend-Forever) or your BH(better-half). Reviewing your list regularly (once a quarter) with someone makes a huge difference.
- Get ideas from others: It’s okay to ask people for ideas or even review their bucket list. Not everyone has a gift for thinking outside the box and ideas from others can help tremendously.
- Crazy or attainable: It is a best practice to include both very attainable goals and wild initiatives on the same list.
- Review it regularly: Put it on your calendar and plan on spending 15 minutes reviewing your list and making edits. Some like to do this weekly, however, I suggest once per month noting that you will be interacting with your list frequently by adding notes and comments using your smartphone.
- Learn from your edits: Re-prioritizing your goals in life is common. Growing families, health matters, so many things can impact what you deem important. As you make edits to your bucket list, I recommend you comment on why you removed something from your list. I like to have a section in my bucket list that says – REMOVED – all the more reason for going digital. When you move an item to the REMOVED section, simply put in parens why you moved it there. It will help define you in the future.
So is it going to be Glory Days or Bucket List? It really is your choice. When you strike up the next conversation with an acquaintance, friend, or family member, a walk down memory lane is fine, but I promise an honest bucket list discussion will be more engaging and do more for your soul. #GloryDaysAhead
