As a school board trustee, we annually attend conferences to log our “continuous education” hours. At this year’s Dallas TASB conference our closing speak, Ben Nemtin discussed the 100 Things to Do Before You Die.
Now you are probably saying, “Fred, what does this have to do with web design or running a small business?”
Well, everything!
The Value of a Bucket List
For many of us, our small businesses are our legacy, they are our mark on the world. It’s how we make a difference.
For some of us, it is an end to a means. It’s how we support our families. Send our kids to college. Or the side hustle that pays for the family cruise, buys that dream car or pays for the family vacation.
The deal is… What are your dreams? What is yours, why? Explain your business goals? And, What do you want to do before you die?
Tips for Writing Your 100 Things to Do Before You Die
As I learn this past September, thinking about these goals.
WRITE these goals down.
SHARE, telling someone and telling the world what your goals are.
PERSIST, ask for help in accomplishing your goals.
MOONSHOTS, dream big out of reach goals.
GIVE, help other people accomplish theirs.
So what are your 100 things you want to do before you die?
01. Cruise around the world.
– Currently think June 2025.
02. Give a keynote speech to more than 1K people (Jeff Burnett quality).
03. Be a self-made millionaire.
04. Have 1000 website clients.
– Currently have 413 as of 10/11/2021.
05. See the ball drop in New York City.
06. Learn to play the guitar.
07. Have lunch with Pat Flynn.
08. Own 1000 shares of stock in a publicly-traded company.
– Currently have 40 shares of Verizon as of 12/30/2019.
09. Have lunch with the president of a publicly-traded company.
10. Visit Australia.
11. Give a huge amount to charity.
12. See the Rose Bowl parade live.
13. Write a song (or at least a parody).
14. Throw a kick-ass birthday party.
15. Make a YouTube video that gets more than 100k views.
16. Record my 100th podcast.
– Currently have 41 as of 08/31/2020.
17. Have a class in Udemy.
18. Invent and sell a product on Amazon.
19. Catch a fish.
– Went fishing 10/2020, didn’t catch anything.
20. Place a $1000 bet in Vegas.
21. Win a major award.
22. Be an extra on a show or movie set.
23. Do a stand-up sketch in a comedy club.
– I have a seven minute sketch about cooking.
24. Play a grandmaster.
25. Preach a sermon.
The Next 25 Items on the Bucket List
26. Tour the White House.
27. Visit the Grand Canyon.
28. See Mount Rushmore.
29. Meet Dr. Berg.
30. Write my 1000th blog post.
– Currently have 473 as of 12/30/2019.
31. Learn to sing a song.
32. $10,000 in monthly re-occurring revenue.
– Currently have about $2084 as of 04/2021.
33. Have a $20k sales day.
– Had a $5k day on 05/07/2019.
34. Weight 170.
– Currently weigh about 185 lbs as of 03/2022.
35. Be the school board president.
36. Fly first class.
37. Ride in a hot air balloon.
38. Go sailing.
39. Train ride long enough for a sleeping car.
40. Attend a hockey game.
41. See the NYSE floor.
42. Be debt-free.
43. Spend the night on the top floor hotel room.
44. Order & eat an expensive lobster.
45. Visit all 50 states.
– Currently missing 12 (AK, ID, MT, WY, ND, SD, WV, CT, RI, VT, NH, ME).
46. Place a bet on a horse race.
47. See a solar eclipse.
48. Invest in a crowdsourcing project.
49. See a Broadway play.
50. Experience a Vegas show.
The Next 25 Items to Do Before I Die.
51. Have a FICO score over 800.
– Currently at 703 as of 03/2022.
52. Be a member of an Exclusive Club.
53. Hire a house cleaner.
54. Have 3 months of bills in savings.
55. Stay at an all-inclusive resort.
56. Leave a 100% tip for a server.
(Ate Fried Cheesecake at the Fair on 10/19/2019)
57. Eat something deep-fried at a State Fair. – 10/19/2019
58. Consume a wild meat burger.
59. Learn to whistle.
60. Plant something that grows.
61. Do 24-hours of silence.
62. Learn to say “Thank You” in 10 languages.
– Currently can say in three languages.
63. Send a care package to a soldier.
64. Mail 50 birthday cards in a year.
65. Write & publish a book, “Daddy Got Custody.”
– Currently about 30% done.
66. Earn 10k in the “Daddy Got Custody Course.”
– Currently have made about $1300.
67. Bowl a turkey.
68. Attend the Olympics.
69. Learn to roller-blade backward well.
70. Play a round of golf.
71. Take a Segway tour.
72. See the fall foliage in New England.
73. Visit a National Park.
74. Order a meal and pay a bill in a foreign language.
75. Donate enough that your name is mentioned in a program.
The Final 25 Items on My Bucket List
76. Own rental property.
77. Stay a weekend in a bed and breakfast.
78. Help someone else complete a task on their bucket list.
79. Visit an old friend that lives in another city.
80. Work somebody else’s job for a day.
81. Go through a buffet line twice without anybody knowing.
82. At a restaurant, order no meal but multiple deserts.
83. Sample 10 drinks at Starbucks I don’t normally drink.
– Currently up to 5 drinks as of 12/30/2019.
(Salt Carmel Mocha, Carmel Macchiato, Pumpkin Latte, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Carmel Frappuccino)
84. Try 10 meals at a restaurant I’ve never eaten.
85. Have a meal from which you tell the waiter to pick.
86. Learn to play one classical song on the piano.
87. Make and pass out a bogus business card.
88. Read 50 good business books.
– Currently read 32 books as of 2021.
(The Attractor Factor, Good to Great, Culturally Proficient Leadership, Living the Fillianaire Life, Superfans, eScape, The eMyth Revised, Room for Doubt, Great by Choice, 30 Days Expert Secrets, The One Thing, Common Path to Uncommon Success, The Road Less Stupid, Never Split the Difference, Beyond Happiness, Principles, Your Next Five Moves, Homeless to Billionaire, How to Train Your Mind, The Practicing Mind, The Science of Getting Rich, 12 Months to $1 Million, Atomic Habits, Better Decisions Fewer Regrets, Lost and Founder, Great at Work, How Successful People Think, How to Prosper in Hard Times, VisualFestation, The Art of Optimism, 77 Ways to Get More Customers, The Art of Productivity)
89. Learn a new card trick.90. Learn a super clean joke. – 10/18/2021 (Cat on the Roof, 3 Envelopes)
(Walked 20,619 steps at Disney on 12/17/2019)91. Walk 15k steps in a day. – 12/17/2019
92. Cook a full meal without using the microwave.
93. Eat something I grew.
94. Enter an elevator, don’t turn around and talk to a stranger.
95. Give a ridiculous or fake name reservation.
96. Join a book club.
97. Join a mastermind.
98. Eat a meal at Reunion Tower.
99. Order room service.
100. Binge-watch an entire television series.
– Currently up to Season 4 of “Friends.”
– Currently up to Season 6 of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
What’s on your bucket list?