Welcome to my next newsletter. I thank you in an advance for reading and please feel free to share this with anyone who you believe will enjoy.

Next week will be the 1st anniversary of my dad’s death. It has been a year of having to adjust without him. I still miss our talks and his laughter especially when I used to regale stories of my cats’ antics and of course mine! Having always been very goal driven his passing made me step back and contemplate my own mortality. So I set about making a Bucket List. Ticking off the items has been a journey for me and I continue to add to the list and take immense pleasure and joy in doing so.

So what really is a Bucket List?

Many of you may recall the Movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. I certainly do – many tears and much laughter! The term Bucket List quite simply refers to the list of items you would like to accomplish before you ‘kick the bucket’. The message being – do the things you want to do before it too late. As Phil McGraw says... very often the window of opportunity will be open for a long time and then slams shut forever. A Bucket List is not a list of mundane everyday activities, it is a list that is meaningful, purposeful, inspiring, fun and challenging.

In the past 7 months I have ticked a number of items off my Bucket List. However there are a few that stand out for me.

1. Thailand:

In February I went to Thailand for 10 days. Not only did I meet some wonderful people, it was an enlightening, fulfilling and inspiring trip. I met a dog called Boy who became my constant companion. He and I walked through the Mangrove swamps, on the beaches, climbed steep hills, shared lunch and my water bottle for almost every day I was there.

On that same trip I also ticked off:
• Sea kayaking – awesome!
• Exploring Hong Kong (even though it was in the rain)

2. Angelia Bella

Having always rather fancied motorbikes, I added this to my list some months back. I then changed my mind (as women are wont to do!) and bought myself a Vespa. She is called Angelia Bella and I decorated her as can be seen from the pic above. I zip everywhere on her and she has given me much joy. PS note the number plate (I had nothing to do with it!).

There are a number still to tick off this year... to name a few...
• I will learn to speak French
• I will visit Thailand again
• I will learn to play the piano well enough to stop scaring the cat

Some guidelines to get started on your Bucket List:

1. Start thinking a bit out of the box i.e. be creative in your thought process.
2. Categorise or target different areas of your life i.e. travel; hobbies; adventure.
3. Have a selection of more easily achievable and more challenging items.
4. Every item must be written down so you can tick it off – writing them down is most important of all.
5. Be focused…be patient... be flexible and most importantly have fun!

Some interesting thoughts:
• Having a plan makes you about 60% more likely to follow through on the action.
• Having clearly defined and written goals puts you about 95% ahead of others out there. As Abraham Lincoln said “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

Do any of these resonate with you?

• Go on a safari to Tanzania and Kenya
• Rent a Villa in Tuscany
• Learn to dance the salsa and tango
• Write a book
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• Learn to sign language
• Visit the 7 Wonders of the World
• Learn to juggle
• Swim with the dolphins................ the list is endless.

The benefits of having a Bucket List:

• You will have fun
• You will be more interesting
• You will push yourself and your boundaries
• You will discover things about yourself you didn’t know
• You will explore your creativity
• You will discover freedom
• You will realise dreams
• You will realise talents
• You will die with no regrets
• You will LIVE!