Accomplished 1 of my "100 Things to do Before I Die" (but 99 more to go)

I have blogged about the benefits of having a "life list" (aka a written list of things you want to do before you die). We've reviewed books on the subject here in LifeTwo and will be focusing on the life list concept more in the future but for now I have a simple list of about 40 or so things I want to do someday written out on an Excel spreadsheet.

This past Sunday I was given the opportunity to do one of my life list to-do's by swimming across San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge. As you can imagine it was quite cold and a somewhat rough (which should be no surprise since 500 billion gallons of water are pushed in and out of the bay during each tidal shift), but in the end it went by quicker than I had expected. 53 swimmers participated in the crossing and it was well-organized. (Info and results at http://www.goldengateswim.com/).

In the days since I finished the swim, several folks have asked me one would want to do something like this and particularly why in the world would it make a life list? Several reasons actually. First, I like to swim and much like a runner might want to one day run the Boston Marathon or a climber to climb a Denali, I wanted to have a goal that I knew would motivate me to train, challenge me to accomplish, and create a memory of a lifetime. Swimming across SF accomplished all of these.

Second, as I told my cousin who I did the swim with and who introduced me to the "Before I Die" concept, what I did before and after the swim was as important as what I did in the water. Specifically, by traveling to San Francisco and spending two days with my cousin's family, I did something I've been meaning to do for many years--and the growth of his children was an indication of exactly how much time had passed. (Un)fortunately, it took something as unique as swimming from San Francisco to Marin County to get me to make the effort and I am so glad that I did.

Therein lies an important lesson about life lists and "before I die" lists. Often it is not the accomplishment that matters most but everything that leads up to and then afterward that really counts. Whether it is renewed relationships, making new friends, learning new skills or practicing old ones, significant goals provide the fuel for all kinds of good things.

If you haven't generated a life list, it's easy. Just sit down and write out things that you would like to do during your lifetime. You won't be graded and there is no right/wrong way of doing it. After a few moments you might find yourself hitting a wall. That's okay, there is no due date. Just add to it as things come to mind. Step one is simply having the list as it is impossible to cross things off that you haven't even written down.

For more information click on the "before I die" tag below.