Just Do It

This past month has been insane.

I mean, sure, there was that whole Christmas thing. And then New Year's. And finishing last semester. And starting this semester.

Minor details. 

No, what I'm talking about doesn't concern school or holidays. What I'm talking about is life.

Over the last month or so, I've set some pretty lofty goals for myself:

Gain 30 pounds. 

Stop drinking soda. 

Spend less than five minutes a day on Facebook.

And the list goes on.

And as I've pursued these things, I've been doing a lot of reading. A lot of reading. On weight gaining. On blogging. On spirituality and what it means to accept the Bible for what it is and not what I want it to be. On photography. On living my life to the fullest. And so, so much more.

And you know what I've found that's helped me? Frankly, very little.

You see, as I'm working toward truly living life every moment of every day (as opposed to simply existing and letting life happen to me), I'm learning. I'm learning what works for me.

The thing is, I read a thing here and there about what to do for this and that. But ultimately, it comes down to me actually living and finding out what works for me - not just what I think sounds good to me.

Sure, I love reading. It's great for learning and great for leisure. And I love learning and enjoying myself.  But learning and leisureliness do not equate with living.

In this last month, I've learned that in order to find what works for me, I actually have to take the risk of failing in order to discover success. And I think this is something that could be said for you as well.

Want to be a big-time blogger? You don't have to post 5 times a week, or even once a week. There's no magic formula. Find what works for you and do it.

Want to live a healthier lifestyle? You don't have to exercise 4 hours a day. You don't have to be a vegan. You do have to find what works for you and do it.

Want to write a book? You don't have to wake up at 5 AM everyday or stay up until 3 AM every night. If it's not your thing, don't do it. Find what works for you and... yup, you guessed it: do it.

I know I sound like a Nike commercial right now, but it doesn't get much simpler than that. If you're looking to live a richer, more fulfilling life right now, then stop reading, stop seeking the "right way." Figure out what it means for you to live a fulfilled life and just do it.

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Questions: What is holding you back from achieving your goals? Why do you fear the risk of failure? How will you live a more fulfilled life in your own personal way today?

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Stop Wasting Your Life

photo credit: 2020VG - sxc.hu

Sometimes, just sometimes, I waste time. 

Okay, we all know that's a dirty lie.

But seriously now. Sometimes I spend my time stalking people on Facebook, stalking people on their blogs, and stalking people on MySpace (as a last resort, naturally).

Now before you get your hopes up, I probably haven't stalked you lately. In fact, this year, it's going to be harder than ever to waste my time learning unnecessary details of my friends' lives.

You see, one of my goals for 2012 is to only spend 5 minutes a day on Facebook.

What?! How will I ever survive?

Well, contrary to popular belief, you don't actually have to ever get on Facebook to maintain a social life. Not at all! And I thought about doing this, but I quickly figured out that I wouldn't be able to post updates from Life Before the Bucket if I couldn't get on Facebook, so I nixed that idea.

You know what's crazy, though? Even if I only spend 5 minutes a day on Facebook this year, I'm still spending over 24 hours of my time in 2012 on the good ol' F-B. Can you imagine just sitting on Facebook for 24 straight hours? It's insane, really. And according to this article, if I'm like the average person, I spent over 90 hours of my year on Facebook in 2011.

But the truth is, I want 2012 to be better than 2011 was. I want to live life more fully than I ever have before. And I firmly believe that living life to the fullest does not include overdosing on Facebook.

I want to stop wasting my life. 

So what about you? If I've stalked you as well as I think I have, then I know that you're determined to make the most of your limited time in this life. That most likely means that you, like me, need to stop wasting your life.

For you, it might look different. Maybe you don't care about Facebook, but you can't go a day without playing Call of Duty. Or maybe your time-waster is perusing StumbleUpon.  Regardless of how you're wasting your life, I know that somewhere within you, you want to stop. I know this because you're still reading (and not because I stalk you).  You want to make something more of your life and want 2012 to be better than 2011.

It isn't difficult. Try it out for a week. Decide that you'll only spend 5 minutes, 10, 15, or however much time a day on Facebook or playing your favorite game. Give yourself a goal just for the coming week and see what it's like to have more time in your day.

I've been seeing this on my browser a lot lately
thanks to StayFocusd

And if you're like me and you need some accountability, check out Leech Block (if you're on Firefox) or StayFocusd (for Google Chrome). Each of these extensions limits how much time you can spend on designated websites, like Facebook or StumbleUpon, making your internet time that much more productive. These tools are especially great for me during the school year, as I tend to default to Facebook when I have homework to do (like most other college students).

EDIT: I had originally linked to the Chrome Nanny extension, but StayFocusd is actually what I meant to suggest - it's a LOT simpler. Check it out!

It'll be one less excuse that you have for not accomplishing your goals, so if you're fond of having excuses, maybe this isn't for you. But maybe you're tired of making excuses and you want to have more time to actually live life. If that's the case, try it out, even for just a day. You'll be surprised at how free you feel when you're freed from even one time-wasting obligation.

So you know what to do, and you know how to do it.

Make it happen, and make 2012 the best year you've ever lived!

P.S. If you need something productive to do while you're on the internet or as a break from work, check out Freerice.com!

P.P.S. I finally made an About Me and a Contact page. Check 'em out!

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Questions: What is your favorite time-waster? How are you going to cut time-wasters out of 2012? What will you do with all of your extra time?

Don't forget to subscribe to Life Before the Bucket! If you enjoyed this post, please use those fancy schmancy buttons down there to share this post with your friends and family!

Take a Moment

You and I, we're separated by a lot. Maybe you aren't in the same city as me. Or the same state. Heck, maybe you don't live in the same country as me. Or believe in the same God as me. Maybe you're not an introvert like me. There's a strong possibility that you're not the same gender as me. And most likely, you don't obsess over coffee like me.

However, we have something in common. We share something. To see this, I want you to look around for a moment. Tilt the laptop screen down, take a slow, deep breath, and take in your surroundings. Chances are, you saw what I just saw as I was digging for something to write about...

People.

photo credit: ontzy - stock.xchng

They're everywhere. And unless you're a hermit living in Antarctica (in which case, I applaud you), you're surrounded by them. Maybe they're in the same room as you. Or maybe there's just a picture of them hanging in front of you, serving as a reminder of actual people who have impacted your life.

Either way, you live among people and in relationship with others. These people make a radical difference in the way you live your life. And when you think about it, it's amazing how certain people can hinder you from living life to the fullest while others can push you to live life more fully.

Take a moment. Right now, if you please, to thank those people. They make you who you are. Without them, where would you be? Who would you be? What would you be? And after you thank them, ask for their help, because you need it. I know this because without the people in my life, I too would be helpless.

Take a moment and ask them to push you this year. To build you up instead of tearing you down. To help you be yourself rather than who they want you to be. These people, they matter. And whether they're hanging in a picture frame or sitting next to you as you read, you wouldn't be half the person you are without them.

Remember those people as this year progresses, those people who make you who you are. And let them help you. Let them carry you when necessary. And when it's your turn, help them back. Be their shoulder to cry on. 

Regardless of how many goals or resolutions you accomplish this year, take a moment and remember the people around you. Because they matter. Because they care. And most of all, because you wouldn't be you without them.

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Questions: Who has impacted you most in your life? What have they done to impact you? Who can you thank today for helping you to become the person you want to be?

Don't forget to "Like" Life Before the Bucket on Facebook and to use those fancy schmancy buttons down there to share this post with your friends and family!

Life Happens

It's the third day of 2012 - January 3rd, in case you missed it.

How many resolutions have you already given up on?

It's amazing how a new year reinvigorates us. Once the clock strikes midnight on the 1st, we feel like superheroes; we can do anything!

And then it happens.

Your car won't start. Your laptop crashes. You lose your job.

Who saw that coming?

That's what we like to call life.

In 2011, I managed to accomplish 44 goals. When I originally wrote out my list of goals, though, I was sure I could accomplish more. However, I didn't envision my health declining so quickly as we found out I had the lungs of an 85 year old. Life happened.

And so, as 2012 begins, I want to share something with you. This is important, so listen up.

No, seriously. You should write this down.

What I want to share is this: regardless of how much we try, we cannot keep bad things from happening.

photo credit: dnabil - stock.xchng

Sometimes, life locks the door and refuses to let us in.

What we can do, though, is realize that life won't go "according to plan," and, well, plan accordingly.

How will you react when your best friend moves away? Or when your car is broken into? How about when a family member passes away unexpectedly?

Choose now, right here in this moment, to overcome. To rise above your circumstances and realize that they are just that: circumstances, which will inevitably change. Instead of fearing the curve balls life will throw you, choose to take a swing at them. Go down swinging instead of watching life pass you by.

You'll be surprised at how much you can accomplish.

You may be determined to live life to the fullest today, but when tomorrow comes and it happens, how will you choose to react?

Choose today to become something more.

Choose to react with courage and determination.

Choose to live life instead of simply letting life happen to you.

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Questions: What unexpected obstacles did you face in 2011? What do you expect to face in 2012? What can you do today to give yourself a better chance to succeed tomorrow?

Don't forget to "Like" Life Before the Bucket on Facebook and to use those new buttons down there to share it with your friends and family!

Starting Strong

It's that time of year again: memories of a year passed are being revisited, new goals are being set, and none of us can seem to write the date correctly.

Don't worry, you'll figure out that it's 2012 just in time for it to be 2013. 

I'd like to think that this is the time of year when Life Before the Bucket should be in its prime. And since this blog was birthed from my bucket list, the beginning of a new year screams, "WRITE ABOUT YOUR NEW GOALS!"

But first, I want to remember. To recall. To enjoy what has happened so that I can appreciate what's to come.

Last year, I set 111 goals to accomplish in 2011. Needless to say, I didn't achieve them all. However, I definitely did more than I would have if I didn't have the goals in the first place. I managed to cross fourty-four goals off of my list last year. And if I would've tried harder, I could have done more.

And isn't that always the issue?

We work, we play, and we live life, hoping to make the best of it. But sometimes, we don't want to try any longer. We form a skewed sense of entitlement: "I've done this well so far; why do I need to keep applying  myself?"

And therein lies a critical mistake that we make in most of our endeavors: we stop trying.

This habit forms early, while we're still in school. We go through 12 years of school, and by the time we hit the 13th - our senior year - we think we deserve a break! After all, we have already shown that we can do the "school" thing for twelve straight years; why should we keep trying? Fortunately, most of us manage to survive school, despite such an attitude.

But life isn't school. You don't get to skate through the "classes" you don't enjoy. You don't get to "graduate."  Instead, life demands that you face it head-on until you've breathed your very last.

Sure, you've done pretty well in life so far - after all, look at all of your accolades! And while you should be commended for how you've fought so far to live a life of intentionality, it doesn't stop here. It's a new year, people, and there are new challenges ahead.

I, for one, am excited. Ecstatic, even. I can't wait to make 2012 one of the most memorable years of my life. But I can't do that if I don't try.

So as you begin 2012, consider making one of your resolutions to try harder than you did last year. Let this year be different. Make it impossible to say, "And if I would've tried harder, I could have done more."

Because you can try harder, and I know you will.

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Questions: What are some of your goals for 2012? How can you try harder this year? 


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Goal Overload?

Hola, Bucketeers! Today, I have the pleasure of featuring another great guest poster! Today, we have Amy from Non-Stop Mom! She has a great post for you, so show her some love through the comments and give her blog a visit and a follow! 

Goal Overload? 

If you have been following my blog (first of all, thank you) then you probably already know about our upcoming road trip. If you haven’t been (you should), then here’s a little bit of background information.

I am a 40 year old single mother of 5 kids. Yes, F-I-V-E. My daughters are 11 and 9, and my sons are 7, 5, and 4. We are leaving our home in central Kansas and driving through 10 states and the District of Columbia on what has now been dubbed “The Mother of All Road Trips: 2011 Edition” or TMOART:2011 for semi-short. 

There are so many goals that are wrapped up into this trip – and this trip is going to be so much more than just a “road trip”.

The main goal, the main reason for why we are even undertaking this is so that the kids and I can see my parents. I grew up in Pennsylvania, and my parents are still there along with a few of my siblings. My parents had me later in their lives, and so they are now in their 80s. The last time that we saw them was 2 years ago, and my youngest son does not remember that trip. Now, at 4 years old, he will remember at least bits and pieces of it – and if, God forbid, something were to happen to my parents, he would at least have a few memories of his grandparents. My parents are for all intents and purposes the only grandparents that he has – his paternal grandparents are not involved in his life at all (read my blog for that story as well).

Whoa, We're Halfway There

Yes, I like a little Bon Jovi. Don't judge me!

On Saturday, something extraordinary happened. Did you feel it? Did you see it? Hear it?

If you didn't, no need to worry. You're not going blind or deaf. Well, actually, you might be, but I'm no doctor, so don't take my word for it.

Seriously, though. On Saturday, something pretty epic happened. At noon, to be exact.

Any guesses?

Okay, fair enough. I'll spill.

We passed the halfway mark of 2011!