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Don’t just dream about filling your bucket … do it

There has been a lot of things that have happened in the world over the past few years … big things that impact so many. It’s easy to feel your wishes, hopes and dreams don’t count for much.
But they do, more than you realise. It starts with having a ‘why’… reasons for living beyond the day to day and helping you tick off life’s big goals and living the life you want.
Having a why helps tune out the all the noise we live with in this age of instant gratification, fast food and fashion and fake news. It’s easy to get lost. Knowing what you want to do with life, why you get up in the morning, why you act the way you do, why you dress the way you do, why you eat what you eat and why you do the things you do, gives clarity and purpose to every step you take.

If you don’t have a why, you might be feeling like you’re stuck. You might be stuck because it feels like your ‘why’ has to be something massive, but you know what? It’s ok to have a ‘why’ that just makes your heart sing.

Once you are firm on your why, it opens up the doors to live life on purpose. Even when the going gets tough, if you know where you are going and what you want to do, you can overcome almost anything. Your why guides your dreams and aspiration, your goals and the items on your bucket list.

Like all lists we make in life, starting with our New Year’s resolutions, don’t let yours gather dust.

Get rid of ‘would of, could of, should of’

There’ll always be things we won’t do because of the ‘what if syndrome’ many of us are afflicted with. We either think we can’t do it, afford it or believe we are not worthy of it.
It got me thinking about the infamous bucket list. A bucket of all the goals we want to achieve, dreams we want to fulfil and life experiences we want to have before we die. Yet, many of us will write this list and never ever do anything on it.

Life goes by so fast; we get caught up in a flurry of day-to-day activities and sometimes it feels like life is going by at a hundred miles an hour.

Not a ‘to do’ list

A bucket list is not a ‘to do’ list. It is a ‘must do’ list.

A bucket list is not meant to make you feel like you are racing against time but as a way of maximising our time, squeezing every drop of fun, goodness and delight out of it. Have you ever been a funeral where they read the Dash poem? It talks about the date you were born and date you die … but those are not the significant dates of YOUR life … it is the dash in between. Make the most of yours.

While I work hard in changing the world one haircut at a time I also want to enrich my life with experiences I can remember with my husband, children, grandchildren, friends and extended family.
So as I enter 2020, I revisit my ‘why’ and I renew my bucket list. I renew it because I’ve ticked off a few goals and I want to add more. New experiences, new travels, more adventure. Better health, more knowledge, improved wellbeing.

Perhaps it’s time for you to examine your ‘why’ and write your bucket list.

Questions to ask yourself
Here are some of the things I thought about as I put together my list:

What would I wish to before I die?
What would if I had unlimited time, money and resources?
What have I always wanted to do but have not done yet?
Any countries, places or locations I want to visit?
What experiences do I want to have / feel?
What would I like to say/do together with other people? People I love? Family? Friends?
Are there any people I want to meet in person?

So take some time, make 2020 the year you make your world a better place. Imagine if everyone did that, the entire world would definitely be better for it…

Hair Aid works globally to make a difference and create change by teaching people living in poverty the skill of hair cutting. Once they’ve been trained people can start their own micro-business, cutting hair in their own communities, earning money. With the money they earn, they can support their families by buying freshwater and food, educate their children, and move into housing. 5000 people have been trained by Hair Aid since 2010. Join us, help make a difference as we go about #changingtheworldonehaircutatatime