Hooray for Your Life Lists

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Oh, team, we care crossing stuff off like gangbusters. Let’s celebrate together. Three cheers for:

Ashely from High Brow, who kicked off a reading series. “I knew a reading series would be a ton of work, but I never imagined it would really feel like a mini version of making a movie.”

Lauren from I’m Better in Real Life is working in the writing industry. “This was something I figured would be marked off 10?20 years? down the road.”

Sara of Fight for Joie acquired a Dyson. “This year is going to be so clean.”

What about you? Have you been working on anything to move your life toward awesome? Tell us. Tell us!

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70 thoughts on “Hooray for Your Life Lists”

  3. Last December, I surprised my husband with tickets to a Steelers game. In Pittsburgh. We live in the SF Bay Area. The whole trip was less than 48 hours, but it was easily one of the best trips we’ve ever taken. That was always something we said we’d love to do, but really, it never crossed our mind as something to plan to do. Something so silly and selfish, but we’ve both fed off the happiness from that trip for a good two months now.

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  5. I put my life list on my blog and while it isn’t full of fabulously dreamy far reaching items, I have been getting some of them crossed off and it feels fantastic!

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  6. I’m hoping to cross a big one off my list come Dec.26: hand-made Christmas. Every person on my list is getting a gift hand-made by me. I already have two finished. Yay!

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  7. Well, Ms. Maggie, I said I wanted to graduate from college, so I went and enrolled last year. I’m in my 3rd semester, and thus far I have a 4.0. And I am blaming it all on you, since once I wrote it down it seemed silly I wasn’t doing it.

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  11. Reading these happy, excited comments feels good!

    In April 2010 I started a one year project called the R.O.A.R. Squad. It stands for Rescue Owners Are Rockin! and the whole idea is to make adopting a rescue pet THE coolest thing around (supporting the whole “Adopt, Don’t Shop” thang).

    The goal is to profile at least one rescue owner from every state in the US and at least one rescue owner from every province and territory in Canada by April 2011 on my blog under the “R.O.A.R. Squad” category.

    I’ve got a little over 2 months to go and I’m about 80% of the way there! I have met a lot of fascinating and cool people. It’s inspiring and humbling to see all the wonderful things they do and I am really happy to be a small part of it.

    Thank you for asking!

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  12. I’ve been adding things before crossing things off…but am so psyched that I have so many going at once.

    The bathroom is nearly a “peaceful oasis” (#10) – just needs the towel bar re-hung, a glass door installed, and my cousin kicked out.

    The landscaping that I want to finish before crossing off #29: Cut down those $#*!& trees is getting there – a tree came down in the storm and is blocking access to the last bit of the retaining wall we need to install. Also the dump truck delivering dirt cracked the lid of a septic tank I didn’t even know was in my lawn.

    So we have to fill that in.

    But I’m really psyched about the progress I’m making on my new, “fluffy” goal. I want to meet all the AKC registered dog breeds…and can easily think of 20 I know (out of 160+).

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    1. Jaime, I’m so happy you’re feeling healthier. Weight stuff is so intense, all of us are rooting for you.

      Joelle, why is your cousin living in the bathroom?

      Ariel, I love it when you write something down, then think, “Why am I not just doing this now?” I love even more that you actually did it.

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  13. I’ve struggled for years with my weight, and I think I had just accepted that I would always be overweight. Even though being overweight and out of shape makes me unhappy and unhealthy. I decided to do something about it, for real this time, and I’ve started Weight Watchers and going to the gym several times a week. I’ve lost 10 lbs and 3 inches off my waist since late December, and I’m not going to give up this time. I’m on my way to being healthier and (much) happier.

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  14. @Ariel: That is incredibly awesome. Congratulations, keep up the great work, and good luck! Remember, the librarians are your best friends.

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  15. I have always wanted to play in a wind band, but didn’t actually play a wind instrument. In October I picked up the tenor sax, and now I’m in my university’s pep band AND a local American Legion marching band. 🙂

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  17. I quit my job today, to stay home with my 2.5 year old and 4.5 month old. I’m elated. I’m petrified. I’m going to be drinking a big glass of wine tonight.

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  18. Six girlfriends and I started a club where we share our lists, update them on a Google doc, and help each other cross them off. Sort of a “Hold You To It” club.

    For example, upon hearing that I want to breathe fire, one friend said, “I can hook you up with friends who do that!”

    We also remind each other when we’ve already done something that we forgot we did (be part of a group costume).

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  19. Ya’ll rock!

    @Arrie, I tried doing that with a group of my friends, but none of them were game. Too many excuses, so I’m trying to plug along on my own. And breathing fire – nice!

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  21. Congrats to everyone! I successfully swam a mile and got started on improving my Spanish. And each time I cross something off my list, the momentum propels me through a bunch of other goals and projects. All sorts of fun stuff is getting accomplished here!

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  24. I’ve been crossing stuff off my life list and my 101 in 1001 like crazy this year! I just crossed another one off- joining a choir. Love it! I forgot how much I love to sing!

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  26. i put “run a marathon” on my list, but had no idea how to even start to build up to that level! i started C25K last December, and am now able to run 5k, and am confident that I will be running a marathon next year.

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  27. I started freelancing last November (kinda by accident) and while it’s not deep, amazing writing, I’ve been cranking out nearly 800 words a week. I wrote nothing for about three years and the transition has been easier. I’m kinda proud of myself!

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  28. I am 36, and last month I mastered riding my bike with no hands and whistling shrilly (you know, the fingers in mouth kind). Not at the same time. Check. Check.

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  29. Yaaaaay!!! thanks for the continued support and inspiration everyone!! Maggie and all of the readers keep me moving forward with my goals and coming up with new challenges. Go team!!

    Something on my life list that I need help accomplishing is : aiding 10 people with their own life list goals. Helping someone on their own awesome journey would be an amazing gift. 🙂

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  30. I took my 4 year old to see the Nutcracker in NYC. We live in rural Maine, so this was a Big Deal, and it was as wonderful as I had hoped it would be.

    The newest one I put on my list is to see Radiohead. I’m hoping this new album means a summer tour!

    Oh, and it looks like I’m going to get to go to India next year! YAY!

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  32. Inspired by you, Maggie, I am getting my oral health in order. After 4 years of throwing away the “you really need an appointment” reminders I scheduled a dentist appointment! Or, my husband did so I wouldn’t just hang up when the office answered. I went in today for a cleaning and have a few more appointments to make to be caught up. I DID IT! I didn’t die and it was so empowering. Also, a little embarrassed that it took me so long to get in there. Thank you for the encouragement!

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  33. I crossed off kind of a silly one off my list last November–I went the whole month without shaving my legs. It was kind of fun, but my skin kind of missed the exfoliation part of shaving and got scary even with daily applications of lotion, so not ever doing that again.

    This year is for crossing off another, which is reading nothing but books that are 100 years old and over. Right now I’m in the middle of Les Miserables (which is crazy long) and two really dense, long theology texts. My reading pace has slowed down incredibly. But hey, I’ve gotten through The Secret Garden, Little Women, and Jane Eyre, too, which have been fun, and I’ll finally have caught up with a lot of classic books I feel like I should have read by now.

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  37. All of those accomplishments are fantastic! I am working on changing my career and found a position about which I am very excited. My cover letter is almost ready to go and with a few tweaks to my resume, I am hoping to send it all off tomorrow.

    I hope everyone’s life lists become a reality!

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  38. I’ve been working incorporating more ADVENTURE into my life. Here’s what I’ve got so far this year:

    Took a trip to NYC with girlfriends.
    Enrolled in a flying trapeze class and flew!!
    Made plans to go to Aruba in March.
    If that’s what I’m doing in the first quarter of the year, I can’t wait to see what the rest holds 🙂
    YAY, life lists!

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  39. My parents have given me so much in my life that sending them on a vacation is an item on my life list. My father lost his job back in October and my mother had both of her knees replaced last May. I can’t see them affording a get away any time soon even though they deserve it. My brother approached me about celebrating their 60th birthdays (coming up this summer). If all goes well we will be sending them on the vacation of their dreams.

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  40. Taught the girl how to eat a lobster and made pancetta from scratch.

    Now we’re getting geared up for warmer weather so we can resume our goal the hike the entire Long Trail as a family. Hooray for all of us!

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  41. I bought a treadmill and I’ve been using it six days a week since Jan 7. I’m down almost 10 pounds, feeling great, energized and I’m learning to love to run. I might even consider running an actual 5k. Feels good to have control of something.

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  43. I love reading these! After a couple of failed attempts throughout the fall and holidays (cornmaze….extremely irratable child, homemade lemonaid on a dock somewhere….bad timing, NYC with my husband….crazy blizzard cancelled all of our flights!), I was finally able to cross off the first thing on my life list. Zip Line through the rain forest!!! After the NYC/blizzard fiasco, we switched flights, quickly unpacked and repacked, and headed to Jamaica! Not too shabby….Thanks for the inspiration, Maggie!

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    1. Kash! Did ziplining freak you out? I feel like I want to force everyone to go ziplining because it’s one of the clearest examples of your fear taking over in a situation that you know is safe. “If they let 11 year olds do it without fear of getting sued, why am I clinging to this tree?”

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  44. @Manders, I too love this! I just started my graduate work at a school that has a “literary tradition” which means you have to (as an undergrad) have read TONS of really really old books.
    The saving grace everyone recommends?
    http://www.librivox.org
    It’s an online collection of audio books that are all in the public domain (yay for free audio books!)
    The readers are volunteers (kind of a wikipedia mindset) but it can really help even if you just choose to read along with the audio.

    Recently I have obtained credit (I had none before. No credit at age 27!) Universities are more than willing to help you obtain credit I’ve discovered. Yay for student loans?!

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  46. I’m so impressed with everyone! Well done and keep it up.

    I had “go to the symphony” on my 101 list. A woman who I had only met once before heard this was on my list and the very next day invited me to go with her. The symphony was amazing! But even more amazing is how generous people have been with helping me reach my goals.

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  47. oh my holy goodness. this was apparently the post I needed to get off my procrastinating ass and post my Life List. so thank you LLers and MM for inspiring me with the kick in the booty. you are all awesome!!! 🙂

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  48. I feel so honored to be mentioned here. Thanks Maggie for being you and for all the women you’ve inspired. You guys all rock! I’m so proud of all of us!

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  50. I got a new job! We will be marking #3 (“live in a different state”) off the list in about three weeks. Plus! I’ll get to add some new museums to the “see 100 new museums” section of my list.

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