Cast a Net on Those Dreams

Have you ever had a summer end and realized you didn’t get time to clean out that closet or go to the beach as much as you would have liked? The legendary Beatle, John Lennon, said, “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” Whatever is on your summer list, it may not get accomplished if you don’t plan for it.

Your best bet is to create a Summer Bucket List. Remember the list can be as grand as you want it to be. It’s a starting place for making the most of your summer.

WHAT do you want to do this summer?

According dictionary.com, a Bucket List is, “a list of things a person wants to achieve or experience, as before reaching a certain age or dying.” It is possibly derived from the English idiom – ‘to kick the bucket’ which means ‘to die’.

Let’s ditch the morbid thoughts. It’s summer! Our bucket is a sand bucket. You know the kind. You likely used one as a kid at the beach or in a sandbox. You filled it with sand and dirt and water. You made mud pies or sandcastles.

Let’s imagine we are about to fill our sand bucket with all our hopes, dreams, and wishes for the summer. What kinds of things do you see in your bucket?

Summer Bucket Lists are usually filled by:

• Like-Tos

• Want-Tos

• Need-Tos

Like-Tos are a great way to start filling your bucket. Google search for “Bucket Lists” on the internet. Pinterest is full of them! Talk to your family, friends, and kids. Like shoveling sand on the beach, gather as many ideas as you can.

This process is great for families with kids or couples to help to include others on the idea generation and planning process.

Want-Tos are those things you may have already thought about. These include your hopes and dreams. Did you ever dream of going to Italy or the Greek islands, but haven’t made it yet? I Have! What about learning French or how to play the guitar? How about carving out time to write a book? Maybe it’s more bubble baths, trips to the mountains or beach, time to go out Country Western dancing. Whatever it is, what are those things you want to do? Add those to your Summer Bucket List.

Need-Tos are those things that may or may not be a high priority for you. This may include needing to drive your child to college in August or finally making that visit to Aunt Bonnie you’ve been avoiding. It could be finally planting that garden, painting that bedroom, or buying that car. Whatever it is, add it to your Summer Bucket List.

When addressing your Need-Tos, pay close attention to your energy as you write them down. Does the task energize you? Or, do you dread the very idea of placing pen to paper? More on this later.

Don’t pay any attention to how many items you place in your bucket, just get the ideas down on paper. This is so you can physically look at what you want to do. At this point, it doesn’t mean you NEED to accomplish EVERYTHING, only that you have gathered ideas.

If you are still having trouble, here are some ideas to get you thinking …

• Arts & Science: Create new things. Examples: Make a lava lamp. Make crayon art.

• Boredom Cures: List simple, low budget things you can do around the house. Examples: Camp outside. Make S’mores over the stove.

• Community Service: Help the community. Examples: Volunteer at a retirement community. Organize a day for you and some friends to walk through the neighborhood or park with gloves and trash bags.

• Develop Skills: Learn something new. Examples: Learn French.

• Entertainment & Adventure: Do something fun you haven’t done in a while, or what to try. Examples: See a drive-in movie. Go skydiving.

• Exercise: Do an activity that requires some physical activity. Examples: Go on a family bike ride. Go for a hike or nature walk.

• Food: Explore new foods. Examples: Try Thai food. Bake a cake in an egg shell.

• Friends & Family: Spend time with special people or those you haven’t seen in a while. Examples: Visit Yumiko in Japan. Make cookies with Grandma.

• Goals: Review your goals. Identify goals you want to accomplish this summer. Example: Visit colleges to which I want to apply in the Fall.

• Projects: Identify projects you’ve been avoiding. Examples: Clean the pantry. Plant trees in the backyard.

• Local Exploration: Be a visitor in your own town. Examples: Visit a museum. Go to a Farmers’ Market.

• Relax: Take time for yourself. Examples: Have a spa day. Lay in a hammock.

• Travel: Near or far, where do you want to go? Examples: Stay in an over-water bungalow in Tahiti. Drive up the coast.

WHY – What’s the purpose for accomplishing each item on your list?

In other words, what are your priorities?

First, consider what items are on the list for you verses your significant other or family members such as children or siblings. Do you tend to sacrifice your needs, hopes, and dreams for others? If so, how can you get your needs met? If you tend to sacrifice other’s needs for your own, how can you work with others to meet their needs and find a healthy balance?

Second, consider your list of items, and prioritize them. Label each item with Need-To, Want-To, and Like-To. Put the Need-Tos first, then the Want-Tos, and finally the Like-Tos.

Here are some questions to help you further prioritize your Summer Bucket List:

• What NEEDS to occur this summer?  

• For what purpose?  

• How is your energy around it – excited or drained?  

• What would happen if you DIDN’T do it this summer?  

• How will you FEEL after accomplishing that item? 

• As you VISUALIZE you doing that item – Who’s with you? How do you feel? Are there any sounds? What are you thinking at the time? 

• Does it have to happen this summer? 

Sometimes there are things we just need to do that we may not have the most positive energy around. Sometimes there are things we need to do, but not sure the steps to accomplish it. Just do it! What’s holding you back?

WHEN – The summer season, when is it?

In creating your list, you need to define the timeframe for your Summer. Usually the season is indicated by a break in school or work, scheduled vacations, visits to or by friends and family, etc.

Now that the summer is defined, take the 10 highest-priority items from your list and include a “By When” date. Napoleon Hill said, “A GOAL is a DREAM with a deadline.” Without a deadline, it is likely not going to happen, and your summer’s potential will go unrealized.

HOW – How will you accomplish your prioritized list?

I intentionally leave the how for last. When creating your lists and goals, you don’t want to get too caught up in the how. Often, this is a recipe for indecision or giving up.

For example, “I’d love to go to Italy this summer, but I don’t have the money, I don’t have the time, I don’t know who I’d go with, I won’t know where to go when I get there, …” If we get too caught up in the HOW, we may end up talking ourselves out of it.

Take those top 10 priorities on your list and brainstorm what needs to happen to cross them off the list. We are very good at finding ways to do and get what we really need and want. These items should be no exception.

Some items may just be too big for this summer. Choose the next item on your original list and put it your bucket. But take that big, lovely “too big” want and make it a long-term goal. It was on your bucket list’s top 10. It is important to you. Figure out if there is a way to make it a reality next summer, or if you can take steps this summer to increase the likelihood of eventually crossing it off your list.

Whatever your dreams, hopes, goals, and “bucket lists,” don’t let the summer fly by without making the most of the time you have. Be creative, think big, and have fun!