Summer on the horizon: What will you do?

By Shelagh Braley, COO

Every year before I worked with My Life List, I felt a pang when summer arrived. I’d start work at 9, miss every ray of sunshine all day and head for my commute home after dark.

As a child, my summers were full: Trips to the beach, swimming every day in the pool, bare feet in the grass, smores on the fire. Vacations with my grandparents and cousins.

Once we reach the serious stage of adulthood, we lose that sense of elation and relief that arrives with the last bell. Our schedules are no longer predetermined, so it takes more effort to plan our time off.

Summer can still be a time of great memories, to replenish our energy and reconnect with loved ones and friends. But you have to start now, step out of the grind and decide what you want to do with your time off.

Take a vacation. It isn’t even that you “deserve” it. It’s that you REQUIRE it. Your balance, fulfillment and future success demand it.

So explore a new location, take your children somewhere that will open their eyes and fill their scrapbooks with new experiences.

Here’s one member who took six weeks off and packed her bags for Thailand. Where are you going to end up? Share your travel adventures with us on www.mylifelist.org and inspire someone else to seek a change of scenery.

Don’t discount power of travel goals

By Shelagh Braley, COO

Are you an urban explorer or a country connoisseur?

I think I’m a little of both, based on my own life list dream trips: I want to immerse myself in the Italian countryside, speaking the language, riding a bicycle to the farmer’s market and cooking to my heart and stomach’s content. I want to enjoy sangria and a restful siesta in Spain, and linger under Tahiti’s Fautaua Waterfall. But I also want to feel the hustle and pulse of the discoteques of Rio and jazz cafes of Costa Rica.

Have you considered your travel goals lately? We all have them. True stat: 100 percent of mylifelist.org members have set at least one travel goal. Most of us have many more.

In order to make them a reality—to experience other cultures and find the place in the world you feel the most renewed—you have to PLAN, not just the details, the flights and accommodations, but the time, too. If you don’t get out of your groove and make time to explore other places a priority, you’ll miss the opportunity for new experiences, to find balance, family time, real joy. There is so much pressure around us, it’s easy to just absorb it and make that our way of life, without releasing the valve and seeking new stimuli, and the restorative peace and fun we need to truly be happy.

If you have a travel goal, do you have a time frame in mind for when you will achieve it? Think about setting a date and working toward it as you would any other measurable goal on your life list. The fun goals are no less crucial to your success than any others.

Don’t let your travel goals languish for “someday.” Or if you have traveled somewhere amazing, share your story on www.mylifelist.org!  You could inspire someone to explore an unrealized travel goal of their own. 

Shelagh Braley, COO of MyLifeList.org, is an experienced entrepreneur and former journalist. She lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

Have you made any big decisions lately?

A few months ago I shared a conversation from a guy who was planning to go to South East Asia. I ran into him last night. He had just returned from spending 70 days in Thailand and Vietnam!

It was hard to believe this was the same person I met who was debating whether to go or not. He could not stop smiling as he shared the stories of his adventure. It was infectious to be around him and you could see that the trip had a profound effect on him.

He now has plans to return in a year and teach English in Vietnam. It is quite evident he has been inspired by his experience.

We’ve all made decisions throughout our life that have had an impact on our future. The key is to be present to all the events that will occur once you make a decision to strive towards an inspired goal.

So why not sign up for those classes at a college, buy that gym membership or to book that epic trip? The possibilities are endless…

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.”– Flora Whittemore

If you are not a member yet, it's free and easy to join by visiting www.mylifelist.org. CREATE your life list, ACT on your goals and CELEBRATE a story of a significant experience to inspire others!

About Bill Starr
Bill Starr is an avid 'life lister' and a founding partner and CEO of My Life List™ (www.mylifelist.org), an award winning goal achievement website that uses a proven methodology and the power of social networking to help people achieve their goals and inspire others.