I’m a big fan of setting goals, they're something we often put a lot of time, energy and effort into achieving because their outcome is important to us - I know I’m definitely guilty of playing the "I’ll be so stoked when I’ve done/created/been to/seen/accomplished x, y or z.” card. Keeping your eye on the prize is great motivation, but what happens after all that hard work, when we’ve actually hit that goal? When we’ve done/created/been to/seen/accomplished that thing we were so keen for?
Well if you’re anything like me, you feel proud of your self for a little while, have some of that warm fuzzy feeling in your stomach… and then:
It’s straight on to the next goal. Another one bites the dust.
A week or two later and I'll barely think about that past achievement, cos I’ll be knee-deep working towards my next one.
Keeping your eye on the prize is great motivation, but what happens after all that hard work, when we’ve actually hit our goal?
I don’t know about you, but sometimes in the hustle of it all we can get to feeling like there’s so much more still to do, or that we’re not keeping up. When the reality is that we’ve actually pulled off a whole bunch of great stuff over time, we’re just not in the habit of taking the time to remember it.
Enter my friend the 'Reverse Bucket List’.
We’ve all heard of a Bucket List, that often mile-long-list of things we want to get done in our time on earth, so quite simply, a Reverse Bucket List is a list of things we’ve already done, that we’re proud of - that’s it!
And I can highly recommend it for bringing some serious pep talk material to the party.
You can be as creative and detailed as you want with it, or just use a pen and the back of a napkin, but something you ca reference back on is ideal. Although keep in mind that this isn’t about dwelling in the past, it’s about glancing at it and reminding yourself that you’ve got what it takes. Then using all the good feels that come with that realisation to spur you on to present and future successes.
I’ve made it easy for you to start off with a Reverse Bucket List Template & Ideas sheet which you can download for free here - so you’re good to go!
A reverse bucket list isn’t about dwelling in the past, it’s about reminding yourself that you’ve got what it takes.
So next time you hit a big goal, do something brand new for you, or achieve anything that you’re proud of, add it to your Reverse Bucket List and make it your business to take a squiz over that list at least once a month to remind you of just how much game you really have.
As always, I’d love to hear how you go in the comments below, and if you know someone who could use a RBL of their own, swing it their way.
Have a good one and I’ll catch you next time,
Stay awesome,
Louise