Welcome to Motivational Mondays!
First things first, what is Motivational Mondays?
Just like it sounds, to motivate, to empower, and to encourage you on the first day of a fresh week. I don't know about you but Mondays can be a drag for me, so sometimes words of encouragement and positivity are helpful to start my day off right.
Motivational Monday's Topic Is:
What’s on Your Bucket List (Post Covid)
Okay, so I don’t know about you guys but I am so ready for covid to be over. The coronavirus pandemic has swept through the world leaving so much loss and pain in its path. With the world being on lockdown for a year now and with the travel restrictions it has led to a lot of people being stir crazy, myself included. If this pandemic has taught me anything it is that life is short and that while we are still blessed to be alive we should live life to its fullest.
So I decided to make a bucket list of all the things that I want to do post-Covid. For those who don’t know a bucket list is simply a collection of goals, dreams, and aspirations that you would like to accomplish within your lifetime. You may be wondering...
What does it mean to have a bucket list?
Why do I need to keep one?
Well hold your horses and I’ll explain. Having a bucket list means that you have a visual representation of your goals in order to keep track of the progress that you are making. When you create your bucket list, place it somewhere in your home where it can be seen every day. Trust me, if it is out of sight it is out of mind. Keep it out and in the open.
And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:2
Let’s Make A Bucket List Together
Predictable and Extravagant
When you create your list be sure to have things that are on both sides of the spectrum. Have some items that are predictable and simple like spending a week at the beach or learning a new language. They also have items that are outrageous and extravagant like booking a trip to Dubai or backpacking across Europe.
Example: On my bucket list I would like to learn French and Italian fluently. I would also like to put my newly learned languages to the test and visit France and Italy, and
take a two-week trip to the Bahamas.
Experience! Experience! Experience!
Think about all of the things that you want to experience when you create your bucket list. If you are planning to go to Dubai, think about all of the things that you want to enjoy while you are there like the culture, the food, people, and so on. Having the experience makes up 95 percent of the trip.
Example: Once I have learned these new languages I would like to immerse myself in their culture by traveling there, eating good food, and speaking their native language.
Ask For Suggestions
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
Sometimes it can be very helpful for you to get suggestions from your friends and family because they may have great ideas that you yourself may not have thought of. You never can go wrong with suggestions.
Example: There are a couple of items on my bucket list that were added after talking with my best friend like going to Essence Festival, Vegas, Six Flags, and traveling cross country in an RV.
Prioritize
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Once you have made your bucket list take the time to take a look at all the items on your list and do some prioritizing. The things that you find the most interesting move them to the top of the list. Put them in the order of the most important for you.
Example: I made a rough bucket list of all of the things that I wanted to do, things I wanted to see, and places I wanted to go, then I ordered them accordingly. The Bahamas, Six Flags, learning french, traveling to France, Vegas, and so on.
Be S.M.A.R.T.
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.
Zechariah 4:10
When you create your bucket list don’t forget to keep things S.M.A.R.T. It is very easy to get caught up making a list of things that you want to do and you forget to factor in the planning process. It is so important to plan, and budget for the things that you wish to do. Be specific in where you want to go or what you want to do, measure your savings or progress, work towards achieving your goal, be realistic, and then do it in a timely manner. Once you make your bucket list don’t put it off, actively work on it.
Example: In order for me to accomplish all of these things on my list I have created a savings account that I place money in each and every month that will bring me closer and closer to my goals.
**I hope everyone has a safe and blessed week and I will see you all on Saturday for our Weekly Topic Saturdays**
~Just Breathe...A Golden Dream~
Amen.