There is a famous quote that says, “You learn more from failure than from success. Don’t let it stop you. Failure builds character.” Boy does this ring true for us! In this day and age of polished Instagram photos and amazing stories on blogs and other platforms, we often only see the positive side to a story. But there are many benefits of failure. In fact, when chasing the numerous items on our bucket list we have found that failure is good. That is because in all the stupid mistakes we have made chasing various bucket list items something remarkable happened. We Learned! 

So grab your first aid kit & get ready to laugh as we share how failure leads to success by highlighting the many bloopers we have had chasing items on our bucket list. Hopefully, by admitting our faults, mistakes, and failures you too will learn so you can avoid these pitfalls as well.

Our Travel Failures that led to Success

When it comes to tackling travel bucket list items, preparation is always key! But everyone prepares differently. For example, we are more outliners. We like to have a good idea of where we are going and what we like to do but we don’t detail every aspect of our travel. Don’t get us wrong, we love the freedom of not being scheduled. But by being a bit loosey-goosey it has created a few problems while traveling. However, each time our failure led to success because we learned and improved. So what kind of travel fails have we had? Let’s dive into it.

Grab your first aid kit & get ready to laugh as we share how failure leads to success by highlighting the many bloopers we have had chasing the items on the Bucket List Project! #Failure #NeverGiveUp #AlwaysLearning
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1) We have chosen some lousy destinations

The Fail:

For those of you who know us, you know we love exploring great literary spots around the world. So we were very excited to see and hang out at The Petit Poucet in Casablanca. For those who don’t know this cafe was once where Saint-Exupéry, the French author of The Little Prince used to spend time between mail flights across the Sahara drinking with Albert Camus. But now no one there seems to care or honor that history.

We were also pretty disappointed when we visited Barranquilla! Don’t get us wrong, if you show up to this large city during Carnival you will witness one of Colombia’s most important folkloric celebrations, and one of the biggest carnivals in the world according to UNESCO. But when we arrived there was NOTHING happening in the massive city. Even our hotel hosts wondered why on earth we were visiting their city in April.

How this Failure Leads to Success:  

While these destinations were a complete disappointment they didn’t take away from our travel experiences. I mean to be fair, nothing could disappoint us about Casablanca since that is where we got engaged. But, when the main reason for visiting is a bust, you can either rue in disappointment or adapt. So for us, we learned to adapt and find something else to do which led to some fun experiences.

2) We have not packed well

The Fail: 

Nowadays we try to be minimalists when packing but it was not always this way. If you have read our review on the one bag travel system by Journey System then you saw us toting around a gigantic suitcase across all of the United Kingdom. See we thought that if we packed all of our gear together in 1 large suitcase it would not only be easier but save us tons of money on bag fees. But though it may have saved us a few dollars it was an absolute nightmare to drag around the old cobblestone roads of Scotland and England.

We have also failed to pack properly for the weather. For example, driving into Jaisalmer during the Rickshaw Run, we were freezing. This is because we had forgotten to pack warm clothes. So as we raced to the finish line, we were wearing everything we had packed, just to stay warm.

How this Failure Leads to Success: 

After nearly throwing out my back carrying around tons of clothes, we knew something had to change. We realized that though we want to be prepared for different weather issues and certain events, we need to learn to pack better so we can be prepared without extra items. So first we learned about ways to pack for the different environments we were possibly visiting. Then, we discovered the Journey System minimalist backpack and other bags which would allow us to carry all of our gear better and more efficiently.

3) ERIC often forgets to put on Sunscreen

The Fail: 

Perhaps one of the biggest travel fails that I have is getting sunburned while traveling. Likely, this is because growing up, I rarely got sunburned and never developed a good habit of lathering up. There is also something to be said about always backpacking outdoors, hiking in open areas with no real protection. But to be honest, there is no excuse for not taking better care of my skin. 

How this Failure Leads to Success: 

Now, I like my tan complexion. But to be honest, as I am getting older, this constant abuse of my skin and especially my face is worrisome. Plus, we all know that sunburns can lead to serious issues. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, 33,000 adults get sunburned every year so bad that they require emergency room visits. Plus, these burns can lead to future skin cancer or worse, melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer. So, to prevent future damage, I have become an avid user of Banana Boat Ultra Sport Sunscreen Travel Pack.

4) We have not planned well for ground transportation

The Fail: 

Perhaps one of the biggest travel fails we have is forgetting to plan out our ground transportation. I know this sounds silly. But more often than not, we have arrived at our destination airport with no clue how to get to our hotel. If you can imagine, we are sitting by the luggage carousel when suddenly we realize we have no idea if this city has Uber, a Metro, or a bus system.

This lack of planning also rears its ugly head when we go adventuring. For example, there have been several times when we spent the day at the beaches near Santa Marta or ended up exploring The Great Buddha sitting atop Nakkerd Hill in Phuket and realized we had no clue how to get back to our home base. In most cases, it was a bit nerve-racking.

How this Failure Leads to Success: 

We have made this mistake so often now, you might think that I love to fail. But, with each situation, we have followed a few simple steps to find success. First, we relax. There is no reason to panic or stress out because that just makes the situation worse. Secondly, we have learned to ask for help. Inevitably, people are good and will help you find a way back home. Now of course you should always be cautious and safe. But, we have learned by asking for help that often there may be options like a metro, taxis, Uber, tuk-tuks, collectivos, or even the occasional farm truck that will be glad to give you a ride to your destination.

Hot Tip: We truly feel that most places in the world are safe. However, as in any place you travel please use common sense and stay to main areas while exploring. We also strongly recommend that you consider getting Travel Insurance from World Nomads. It is a simple and flexible insurance to keep you safe while participating in any wild adventure.

Adventure Experience Failures that led to Success

Perhaps the easiest bucket list category to experience failure is your Adventure Activities & Experiences list. This is because more often than not, many of these items rely on physical ability which we may just not have. Now that doesn’t give you a pass to not give it the old college try. But, you need to be prepared because your goal may require a lot of training, effort, practice, and ultimately a little luck.  So is failure good when you strike out attempting an adventure activity or experience? We think so.

1) Eric can’t seem to Kiteboard

The Fail:

I remember the first time I saw kiteboarders cruising around Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It was back in the late 1990s and an outfit known as XL Kites had a van parked on the bay with a group learning how to float their kites. I was immediately awestruck and knew I had to try it. So, my mom bought me lessons and I learned the basics of launching and body dragging. But when it came to putting the board on my feet and actually surfing, I FAILED. I pretty much dragged around the bay face first, drinking up all the saltwater Florida had to offer. 

How this Failure Leads to Success:  

Of course, the scenario above was my first time so that was okay. I mean sports like that are not easy to learn. But I had to make some hard decisions and clarify my commitment to Kiteboarding. So a few months later, I took my savings and bought a board, a Cabrinha Switchblade kite, and a full rig set up. With my new gear, I would practice in Lake Pontchartrain, & the beaches of Gulfport. Often I would return to the XL Kites gang in Fort Walton and ask for help. To further my skills (or at least try to) I even spent a week in Tobago with the Radical Sports Tobago Kiteboarding School.

Now, I have to be honest, I still can’t stand on the board and kite at the same time. Even the guys at Radical Sports Tobago were a bit confused by my lack of ability. Though they were impressed by how much of the Caribbean Sea I could drink without drowning. But through all of this failure, my dream didn’t fade. Maybe it is because I love watching the graceful soaring of other kiteboarders or maybe it is because I am stubborn. But I know that hopefully with continued practice, I will succeed.

2) We can’t catch the Northern Lights

The Fail:

Have you ever felt like Eeyore with a raincloud overhead? I am not going to lie, I feel like that every time I go hunting the Northern Lights! Not because seeing the Aurora Borealis is depressing in any way. No, the fail comes in that even if the forecast of the location & intensity of the aurora is supposed to be perfect, by the time I get out there, a sudden stream of clouds appears. REALLY. This has happened to me in my attempt to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, Alaska, Northern Wyoming, & other places.

How this Failure Leads to Success:  

In order for this failure to lead to success, I had to first accept that the weather is out of my control. It seems pretty obvious but that doesn’t mean I can’t hedge my bets to find success. So in order to increase my odds of seeing the Northern Lights, I learned to research better by visiting sites like NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center or the Aurora Hunter. So, with a little luck, planning, and a whole lot of patience, we will finally witness the magical display of lights, someday.

3) We have had run-ins with the law

The Fail:

When we sign up for different activities or adventures around the world, in no way do we ever attempt anything illegal. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t had issues with law enforcement or security forces. For example, while taking on the wild adventure of driving a tuk-tuk across India, Darcee actually got us stopped by the Indian Police! At first, we assumed they thought we stole the tuk-tuk or maybe Darcee was speeding (if that is even possible in that glorified lawnmower). But in reality, he just wanted to say hi and see if we had a $1.00 U.S. bill since had never seen one ever.

Now in Liechtenstein, things were a little different. Essentially the Swiss Guard came down on Eric after he accidentally tried to illegally re-enter the Schatzkammer which is the Princes of Liechtenstein’s Private Collection of treasures. 

How this Failure Leads to Success:  

When it comes to your failures, we truly hope that none of them require the assistance of law enforcement. But if they do, we have learned to always approach the situation respectfully and even with some positivity. For example, with all the things to do in Liechtenstein, being surrounded by armed guards shouldn’t be high on anyone’s list. But, accidents happen. So by being calm, respectful, and most importantly, apologetic, all was forgiven within moments.

4) We have bitten off more than we could chew

The Fail:

I vividly remember staring at the distance sign at the start of my pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. For those who don’t use the metric system, 790 kilometers is roughly 491 miles. Wait, what? That is like walking from New Orleans to Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida but with mountains in the middle! Plus, I was doing it alone and only had a guidebook and painted arrows on random walls and rocks to guide me. The start of the pilgrimage definitely filled me with a bit of doubt.

Another time I felt a bit overwhelmed is in preparation for our Climbing Devil’s Tower for ALS. I mean what kind of crazy person volunteers to climb 867 feet (265 m) from base to summit, with a summit 5,112 feet above sea level? I know it is for an amazing cause but I am not as young as I used to be.

How this Failure Leads to Success:  

Well with the Camino, I realized that my only way home was from Portugal, so no matter what, I had to head that direction. It was then that I realized that if I started to walk and either struggled, decided I didn’t like it, or flat out failed, that was okay. This is because I knew that I could always stop and catch a train or another way back. Now I know that this type of “safety net” thought seems a bit like a way out. But to be honest, sometimes people just need to know there are alternatives or a plan B to make them feel comfortable. 

Another thing I have learned that has lead to success is how to gather your support team. When you are taking on a bucket list item that seems a bit overwhelming, you have to stop and look for help. Inevitably, there are others walking that same trail or climbing that same mountain that share similar fears, challenges, or concerns. It is in those moments that you can find strength to accomplish your goals by doing it together! In many of our successes, we have made great friends who won with us!

Personal Growth Failures that lead to Success

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking, once shared, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” I personally love this quote because sometimes it is often hard to relay the benefits of failure to those who only see one final goal. Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to pursuing your bucket list dreams, we want you to keep your eyes on the big prize. But there are so many great and positive side effects to failure especially with items on your personal growth bucket list. Let’s explore a few of our failures that lead to success.

1) I still can’t see my 6 pack abs

The Fail:

I can still remember the feeling of ripping my “fat boy” pants in the parking lot getting out of my car. See back in 2009, I was FAT! I was always husky but that summer as seen in the pic above on the left, I maxed out my 5’8″ frame to a weight of 245lbs. So, rather than buying new suit pants for my job, the year before I had gone to Walmart and bought a pair of those cheaply made black slacks with the elastic band. I mean I didn’t want to buy new expensive pants when I already had some and I could “easily” lose the weight. But I hadn’t. So one day, as I was getting out of my car to visit a client, my cheap Walmart pants tore at the elastic band because I pushed them to the max. It was too much and at the moment, #5) See my 6 Pack was added to my Personal Growth Bucket List.

How this Failure Leads to Success:

Now I will be honest, I thought I would have had a 6 pack by now. I mean that was 11 years ago. But I barely have some details of a 4 pack at times – usually near the summer months. However, that is okay because even though I have yet to get shredded, I still found great success.

You see, in this pursuit for the ideal physique, I still lost nearly 90lbs and have maintained that 157lb weight for over 10 years. Now, it wasn’t easy and I learned that there isn’t 1 way that works for everyone. In fact, I probably have tried about 5 different eating lifestyles and over 45 different workout plans. But I never lost commitment to my goal and my health.

2) I still can’t fluently speak Spanish

The Fail:

So I don’t have many regrets about the choices I have made. But one of the biggest regrets I do have is not studying Spanish more as a kid. My mom tried to get me to learn and initially spoke to me in Spanish. But as I became a stubborn teen, I gave up on it and even rebelled by taking French in high school. However, in my pursuit to learn more about my Cuban heritage and travel more, I have attempted many of the best ways to learn Spanish. The only problem is that I am still nowhere near being fluent enough to have a conversation with my Grandmother.

How this Failure Leads to Success:

So, yes I am still a very long way from fluent conversational Spanish with my Cuban family. But, in this failure, I have had some success. For example, I have learned enough to easily tackle basic travel situations. I have long term traveled to Spain, Colombia, Peru and even parts of Morocco and successfully navigated situations speaking Spanish. Plus, in attempting various ways to learn Spanish, I also discovered better ways of learning subjects overall. That way when I take on future personal growth items, I can find the right resources to help me learn.

Failures in Louisiana that led to Success

In Louisiana, we like to say “laissez les bon temps rouler” which means “let the good times roll.” But we have missed the pirogue a few times by not paying attention. Now don’t get me wrong, we don’t take things too seriously or often live by a schedule down here in the Bayou State. But our lack of organization has led to a few failures. So grab your Mom ‘n ‘em and check out some of our major faux pas while chasing our Louisiana Bucket List!

1) We missed the fais-do-do

The Fail:

For those of you who don’t know a fais-do-do (pronounced fay DOUGH DOUGH) is basically a fun Cajun dance party. In general the best ones are based around food, music, and dancing and are found in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. So when looking for the best fais-do-do, the infamous Cafe Des Amis topped the list. We kept saying that we were going to take the drive over for a fun weekend. I mean it was barely 3 hours away. But sadly due to our hemming and hawing, we missed our chance and it closed in early 2018.

How this Failure Leads to Success:

Cafe Des Amis WAS world-famous for their Saturday Morning Zydeco Breakfast. Visitors were greeted with spicy bloody mary’s and rich Cajun cuisine like eggs with crawfish étouffée. However, the real highlight was when the  Zydeco band started to play encouraging everyone to dance! So, when we realized that we missed our chance it was a big disappointment. But that didn’t deter us. Instead, we asked around, did a little research, and discovered there is a new kid in town, Buck and Johnny’s, that is offering zydeco music, dancing, and a world famous Zydeco Breakfast.

2) We’ve been a wee bit too close to some gators

The Fail:

It a very popular bucket list item to take a swamp tour, visit an alligator farm, or see them in the wild at Rip’s Rookery in New Iberia. So of course, there have been several times where I wanted to show my Wyoming girlfriend, now wife, some true Louisiana gators. But one of the first times I did this we kind of got a bit too close. While walking the lap around Rip’s Rookery on Jefferson Island we came upon several gators sunbathing. By that time, we had already walked all the way around the island and we weren’t sure we should go back. Needless to say, we RAN by them as fast as humanly possible!

How this Failure Leads to Success:

Outside of improving my time in the 40-yard dash, getting too close to alligators made me learn better safety protocols. So we turned to the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries website. According to LDWF, most alligators, if left alone, will move on and are generally not a threat to people. However, they do recommend that if you have a close encounter with an alligator, like we did, back away slowly. 

My Failure to Make Amends that led to Success

Asking for forgiveness is HARD! I have often said that my Making Amends Bucket List is easily the hardest list I have created. Perhaps because means I have to not only reach out to those I have hurt but then admit my faults to them. So how can someone fail when trying to say they are sorry? 

1) I haven’t even tried yet

The Fail:

When it comes to making amends, I am a Failure! Why? Because, even though I think about the various people on the list that I have wronged, I have yet to take action. At one point, I tried to find one of the people on my list. But it was a struggle to connect with them and thus I just stopped trying.

How this Failure Leads to Success:

To be honest, it is hard to find success here. Now let me clarify that success will not be measured by obtaining forgiveness from those whom I hurt. Rather, success comes in admitting my faults to the person whom I hurt. Also, when I share here, it not only humbles me but reminds me that I need to try harder. So hopefully my failure leads to success by recommitting myself to try again. 

My Failure to Help Others that led to Success

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But can you actually be a failure when you help others? Maybe. Now don’t get me wrong there is no better way to leave your mark on the world than by finding ways to help others. Plus, there are even studies that helping others can even help you live longer. However, sometimes you might do a bit more harm than good if you don’t plan properly or try to cut corners. 

1) Our Little Library made us ashamed of our-SHELVES

The Fail:

I am not a good carpenter! Not that it is beyond my skill set but I neither have the tools nor the patience to build something with my hands. But that didn’t stop me from wanting to build a Little Library to put out in front of my house. Of course in typical fashion, I had dreams of grandeur of the coolest looking little library packed with books where people would stop by to pick up or share. But rather than buying an official kit from the Little Free Library association, I came up with a “genius” idea to use an old wine crate! Of course, I had great intentions and it all started out great. But having it in New Orleans where it rains all the time or is humid most other days, it all became a big problem. Instead of helping my community with a fun book exchange, my cutting corners lead to a moldy science experiment!  

How this Failure Leads to Success:

Unless the goal was to spread black mold or test the relative breakdown rates of paperback novels, then it is pretty obvious that my little library was a bust. But throughout the whole process, I learned a lot about how to do it better the next time. I realized that if I wanted to create a unique little library for my Irish Channel neighborhood, then I need to figure out how to deal with environmental factors. It also reminded me that there are no short cuts when trying to do something right! Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t do it differently or better, but you have to do it right. Otherwise, you might be sending someone home with a book that even Dr. Who can’t fix.

2) I took my best friend on a Death March

The Fail:

One of my favorite Helping Others Bucket List items is by far #103) Fulfill 1 Bucket List Item for Anyone who helps me with 1 of mine! It is such an amazing feeling when someone gets to tick off a dream item because of your efforts. So, when my best friend Brian shared that he always dreamed of summitting Mt. Whitney and then backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail, I jumped at the chance to make his dream come true. But there was one problem, Brian was a beginner backpacker and not 100% ready for the physical demands of the trail. Don’t get me wrong, he trained. But with all my personal hiking experience I should have directed him better when we planned out our trek. Instead of starting at a pace of 8-10 miles each day, and then slowly working upwards, we planned most days at 15 or more. This wouldn’t have been too bad except that we had to cross over a million peaks of the Sierra Nevada from the Whitney Portal. 

How this Failure Leads to Success:

Luckily we took care of summitting Mount Whitney by day 2. So at least we were able to succeed at standing at the highest point above sea level in the lower 48 states. But by day 5, Brian was done and I was pretty beat up as well. It was a pretty humbling as we sat at the Twin Lakes about 23 miles from Lone Pine. But in that moment of humility, we learned that when life throws us obstacles we can easily change course. Even though we hadn’t made it to Mammoth Lakes we could still enjoy the moment. Instead, we relaxed, met some friends who let us fly fish with them, and recovered in some of the most beautiful parts of California. 

My Failure to keep this post short leads to Success

If you made it this far, congrats! You survived another session with little Eric-Talks-A-Lot! But hopefully, you had a great laugh as we shared our different types of failure. I am sure by reading all the bloopers we have had chasing the many items on the Bucket List Project, you realize that we obviously Love to Fail! But, also, I hope you learned that there are many benefits to failure and that it isn’t always a bad thing.

So now it is your turn! Do you think failure leads to success? Have you ever botched something so bad but still found success? What are some of the best bucket list fails you have ever seen or experienced? Share with us in the comments below and maybe help someone who may be dealing with a similar failure.

Don’t forget to Pin this to your favorite Personal Growth Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post, the “How My Failure Leads to Success” contains a few affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post How my Failure Leads to Success appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

If you are reading this, congratulations, you survived 2020! But now we have all started a new year and that means setting new bucket list goals for 2021! 2020 was a hard year for us as it was for many of you! Between losing my mother, Lilian Madan Gamble, in March and then being hit with a global pandemic, not much happened with our Bucket List Project. But now we are gifted with a new year and that means hopefully new hopes and goals!

So what are our new bucket list goals for this year?

When reflecting on our 2020 bucket list goals and looking back at our 2020 Completed items, we realized that we kind of dropped the ball. We could make a lot excuses and most were legitimate. But to be honest, perhaps one of the biggest failures was that we just didn’t prioritize our bucket list goals.

To remedy that, I busted out my old Bucket List Project notebook, sat down with Darcee, and together we decided on some key points that we wanted to tackle this year. Now, when deciding on what to do we looked at all the different categories and essentially decided to try and tackle 3 items per list.

So, without further ado, I present our Bucket List Goals for 2021! We hope that this list will inspire other members of Gen X and Gen Y to reflect and hopefully prioritize their own goals for this year.

Congratulations, you survived 2020! But now we have all started a new year and that means setting new goals for 2021. Discover what the Bucket List Project hopes to tackle this year. #2021bucketlist #Bucketlistgoals
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January’s Goals

• 203) Read Classic Adventure Books:
  •  9) The Boy & Going Solo by Roald Dahl

Febuary’s Goals

• ???

March’s Goals

• 257) Return to Mineral Wells, TX & explore the town with ME (Recommended by Susan Mallory)
• 242) Learn to cook gumbo, jambalaya, boiled crawfish, & boudin together (Recommended by Andrew Dawson)

April’s Goals

• 200) Know my home State of Louisiana:
  • h) Brunch at Buck & Johnny’s (Café Des Amis) in Breaux Bridge
• 203) Read Classic Adventure Books:
  • 2) Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
• 118) Geocache in 5 Different Cities (do city 2 in Chicago, Illinois)

May’s Goals

• 200) Know my home State of Louisiana:
  • i) Friday “Business” Lunch at Galatoire’s
• 209) Build a “Little Library” version 2.0, stock it with great books, and put it in front of my house to Share

June’s Goals

• 285) Climb Devil’s Tower in Wyoming
• 256) Come to Casper, WY & explore our city with US (Recommended by Holly O’Neill)

July’s Goals

• #5) See my 6 Pack Abs

August’s Goals

• 61) Learn to Dance Salsa & Merengue

September’s Goals

• 203) Read Classic Adventure Books:
  • 4) Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

October’s Goals

• 130) Eat weird things:
  • 9) Escamoles in Mexico (Ant Larvae)
• 167) Celebrate Dia De Muertos in Mexico
• 179) Swim in the Cenote at Ik Kil, Yucatan, Mexico
• 180) See the Mayan Temples of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
• 219) See a Real Lucha Libre Wrestling Match in Mexico
• 298) Swim with Whale Sharks in the Mexican Caribbean like near Isla Mujeres

November’s Goals

• ???

December’s Goals

• 36) Learn to Speak Spanish Fluently

Whenever Possible this Year

• Try to Make Amends with 1 Person on my List
• 94) Go Moonlight Skinny Dipping
• 103) Fulfill 1 Bucket List Item for Anyone who helps me with 1 of mine!

What do you think

Les Brown once said, “Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”  As you can see, our bucket list goals for 2021 are pretty aggressive. But nothing on the list seems impossible with a little planning and focus. But what do you think about our hopes and goals for 2021? Do you think it is doable? What is one favorite bucket list goal on this list that you would like to also do? Or is there something else that you think we should tackle? Let us know in the comments below!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your favorite 2021 Bucket List Board!

The post Prioritizing Our Bucket List Goals To Get The Most Out Of 2021 appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

The start of 2020 has surely been tough on a lot of people for different reasons. But for me, it has been wrought with challenges that unfortunately have prevented us from chasing our bucket list. Don’t get me wrong, I know that sometimes life can definitely be hard and that means we need to be flexible with our goals. But when things get tough for me, I tend to look for motivational quotes in order to reinvigorate myself and my bucket list dreams.

I find that certain bucket list quotes are a great way to recharge and remind me of my commitment to the bucket list project. Other bucket list quotes, just offer a pick-me-up and make me smile again, which is sometimes all we really need in life.

Quotes are a great way to reinvigorate your commitment to your own bucket list. Discover 36 quotes to inspire & motivate you to chase your own bucket list dreams! #Bucketlistquotes #TravelQuotes #DailyQuote
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So, if you are struggling right now in come capacity, hopefully these 36 Quotes will Inspire your bucket list too. The first 5 quotes under each category are standard quotes meant to offer a bit of inspiration. While, the 6th quote under each category is just a funny quote meant to bring a smile to your face.

Adventure Travel Bucket List Quotes

It’s been hard not being able to travel these past few months. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start planning trips when life returns to normal. So to inspire you to start planning, here are our favorite travel bucket list quotes. Fair warning, these quotes may incite fernweh or wanderlust in most people!

1. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
2. “Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen R. Covey
3. “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” – Rachel Wolchin
4. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
5. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
6. FUN QUOTE: “I love flying. I’ve been to almost as many places as my luggage.” – Bob Hope

Adventure Activities & Experiences Bucket List Quotes

There is no doubt that there are some items on the Adventure Activities & Experiences bucket list that require a little motivation to help overcome personal fears! I mean who in their right mind would attempt swimming with the sharks or eating fried tarantulas without a little encouragement. So, here are a few bucket list quotes that will hopefully fire you up too!

1. “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne
2. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” ― Helen Keller, from The Open Door A Sense
3. “Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient.” – Grace Lichtenstein
4. “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”– Seth Godin
5. “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” ― Jack Kerouac
6. FUN QUOTE: “Adventure, yeah. I guess that’s what you call it when everybody comes back alive.” ― Mercedes Lackey, from Spirits White as Lightning

Personal Growth Bucket List Quotes

As I get older, it becomes really evident to me that it is very easy to get distracted by outside influences and lose focus on what really matters. In what feels like a matter of seconds, time has just flown by and opportunities to learn and grow sometimes disappear. But luckily the proverbial race isn’t over and if you want it, there are still ways to personally grow. Hopefully these personal growth bucket list quotes will motivate you to focus and get moving like the do for me.

1. “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.” – H. Jackson Brown, from Life’s Little Instruction Book
2. “You can only lose your virginity once. But in every aspect of my life — building businesses, raising a family, embarking upon adventures — I try to do things for the first time every day.” – Richard Branson, from Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography
3. “Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
4. “We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and each one should be really excellent. Because these are our lives.” – Steve Jobs
5. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi
6. FUN QUOTE: “If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.” – Katharine Hepburn

Helping Others Bucket List Quotes 

I am sure we all want to help others if we can. There is nothing worse than seeing someone in this world struggling or even worse suffering. That is why we all need to get out there and try to help others while we have the ability and time to do so. Now, I know for me, it isn’t the lack of desire to want to help others especially when there are Simple Ways to Help Others. No, more often than not it is the lack of motivation. So hopefully, these Helping Others bucket list quotes will get us all moving to make the world a better place.

1. “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan
2. “Your true character Is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do ‘Nothing’ for you” – Mother Teresa
3. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.” – Charles Dickens
4. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
5. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank, from The Play of “The Diary of Anne Frank
6. FUN QUOTE: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” ― The Dalai Lama

Making Amends Bucket List Quotes

As I have said before, the Making Amends Bucket List is definitely one of the hardest to tackle. In fact it is so hard for me that I have not ticked off a single one of these since I started the Bucket List Project. Perhaps, this is because saying your sorry even for the smallest problems can be really humbling and scary. But, I have seen in some people that forgiveness brought great freedom and joy to both sides of the issue. So, I often look at my favorite Making Amends bucket list quotes listed below in hopes of gathering the strength to at least try.

1. “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.” ― Bruce Lee
2. “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and for deeds left undone.” ― Harriet Beecher Stowe
3. “When seeking forgiveness, remember, that forgiveness includes change. Don’t just ask for forgiveness because you are sorry. Ask because you are willing to put the time and effort in to change.” ― Akiroq Brost
4. “You must ask for God’s help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again.” – C. S. Lewis
5. “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” –  Ralph Waldo Emerson
6. FUN QUOTE: “Sometimes the first step to forgiveness is understanding that the other person is a complete idiot.” – Anonymous

Our Couple’s Bucket List Quotes

Now, I have only been married for a short time but apparently this covenant I agreed to requires a lot of work and maintenance! But that is okay because officially scratching off bucket list item #2) Marry My Soul Mate was truly an amazing event in my life and I feel blessed everyday. So, I use these couple’s bucket list quotes to continue to motivate us to seek out life-changing events together.

1. “Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures.” — Lewis Carroll
2. “As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” — A. A. Milne
3. “I have found out there is no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain
4. “Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.” — Antoine Desaint-Exupery
5. “It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.” – Anonymous
6. FUN QUOTE: “I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade… And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.” – Ron White

So now it’s your turn to inspire us with your favorite bucket list quotes! Do you have a favorite quote that motivates you? Has any quote inspired you to tackle an item on your own bucket list project? What is your favorite travel quote you have hanging on your wall? Let us know your favorite quotes about bucket list items in the comments below & help to inspire others!

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Disclosure: This post, “36 Quotes to Inspire Your Bucket List ”, may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust.

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It has been one month since I lost my mom, Lilian Madan Gamble.

I struggle to write this post for many reasons. Perhaps, it is because it doesn’t really feel like she is gone yet. Or perhaps, it is because I am not sure it is quite proper to share such a post on a Bucket List blog. But, after much consideration, I decided to share this to not only honor my mom but also to perhaps inspire others with her story.

Lili, my mother, lost a long a tough battle on March 13, 2020 and the past month has been a mixture of all kinds of feelings and struggles for me. I loved and still do love my mom as any son would! She was one of my biggest supporters of The Bucket List Project. She loved hearing all about Darcee and my adventures around the world. But, she especially loved it and rooted hardest, when we worked hard on our Helping Others Bucket List to help others fulfill their own bucket list dreams.

Because of her, I am the adventurer I am. She so loved seeing the world, trying new foods, and meeting new people herself.  It was one of her best traits that I personally am glad she instilled in me. She also loved seeing me personally grow and I only hope that I can become the man that she so longed me to be.

So with that said, I wanted to share the eulogy I gave my mom at her funeral mass with everyone. Hopefully, it can inspire everyone to learn to grow, love one another, and perhaps even find a bit of adventure in this short life we all have. I have never had to write a eulogy before, so please forgive me if it is a bit lacking. For a son to write a eulogy for his mom is a near impossible task that I don’t wish upon anyone. But if you will allow me, I wish to present it now to all of our family and friends.

A Son’s Eulogy For His Mom

On behalf of my Grandmother, Lilian Madan, my sister, Lilian Catherine “Lica”, my wife Darcee, and myself, Eric Rafael, I would like to first thank Fr Pineda, Fr O’Hare, and Fr. Whitestone (this was changed to Fr. Walsh & Fr. Rodriguez) and everyone who helped us prepare for this celebration of my mother, Lilian Madan Gamble. With all that is going on in the world, your thoughts, prayers, efforts, and love for my mother have meant the world to us.

I have never had to write a speech like this before, so please excuse me because I am not as elegant as some of my uncles nor as linguistically skilled as my wife or sister. So, in preparation for today, I essentially had to researched how to do this.

A Eulogy vs. An Elegy

In my research, I found that often people get confused during times like this between an Elegy and Eulogy. To be honest, I didn’t know the difference either. So, to clear things up, I channeled my inner Tio Rafael and dug deep into the origins of each word. Here is what I found:

An Elegy comes from the Greek root word Elegos which roughly translates to a Song of Mourning. While, a Eulogy is derived from two Greek root words, “EU” which means Good and “LOGOS” which means speech. Thus, when combined, Eulogy translates to a Speech of Good or a Song of Praise.

So, why does this matter today?

I bring this up because in the last year or so, people have approached me to discuss my mom’s state of life. Conversations about her were sometimes full of sorrow and remorse. Adjectives were used like, Tired, Weak, Frail, Sickly, and even Depressed. Now, of course, those people saying these adjectives not intending them to be hurtful. But, these kinds of words could easily lead our thoughts about her life toward regret or mourning.

And that isn’t how I wanted my mom remembered.

I wanted this speech…this service…this day to be a Eulogy to my mother! I want mine and every memory that each of us carry of her to be a true Song of Praise!

Lilian Madan Gamble, The Benevolent

Therefore, I am petitioning all of you to remember your Daughter, your Sister, your Tia, Your Mina, my mother with a different adjective. I petition her to be remembered as: Lilian the Benevolent.

Now for those who don’t have your dictionary handy, Benevolent is an adjective used to characterize someone who has the desire to help others by doing good in this world. Benevolent is synonymous with words like charitable, good, kind, gracious, helpful, and unselfish.

Now being her son, of course, I would praise my mother with an amazing word as benevolent. But to provide evidence to support my petition, I offer you the following examples:

• Lili gave Gifts with Intention

If you have ever been on vacation with us or to a Madan Family Christmas, you will recognize one of these bags! Poor Ali, Lica, and even Darcee have at one time been ”tortured” with the task of loading up bags like this for others on behalf of my mom. Often when receiving them, a person might see a random collection of bizarre trinkets and some were. But my mother didn’t see it like that. With these bags, she used whatever resources she had and tried to find items that matched something she thought you needed or could help you. For example, with her brother Ramon, she always insisted we overload your back with extra beef jerky and beef Slim Jims because in her mind she thought of you as strong! Thus, she wanted to make sure he had all that extra protein to keep you strong. And she tried her best to do that for everyone all the time. She always tried to give with intention even as silly as it seemed to us.

• Lili Gave us the Gift of her Faith

My mother, much like her own mother loved her faith. She often prayed for godchildren, her brothers and sisters, and anyone she could remember. To be honest, I probably gave her enough disasters in her life to fill her prayer intention card alone, but she always thought of who needed prayers and added them in as well. She worked hard to instill the faith in her children as well, and because of her efforts and prayers, I truly believe it helped both her and I find Darcee!

• Lili Gave her service as a Nurse to a countless number

In the first Epistle of Peter, chapter 4, verse 10 it reads, “As Each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s Grace”

My mother was given a skill for Nursing and thus used it to serve many people. For over 30 years, my mother was a registered nurse in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Virginia. She tended to the sick, the seriously injured, the elderly, the lost and forgotten, and even the dying. There was really no patient she wouldn’t help, and she would never say no to anyone in need of medical care. There are countless stories of her caring for the bedridden. She would often just take on the rolls of feeding them, cleaning them, or sometimes just tenderly holding them so they could feel connected again. This kind of gracious care can be seen in how she showed up and cared for her own father at the end of his life.

And Finally,

• Lili Gave the Gift of her time

My mother wasn’t the most mobile of people, so if you wanted to talk to her it was kind of easy to catch her. Now, I am sure there were times when she wished she could run away from us, especially if I or Franco decided to share one of our long-winded stories.

Now her absolute favorite thing to do, besides talking with her favorite child, Nico, was to just laugh with all of us! She had such a great laugh.

But to be honest, she loved hearing everyone’s stories! She loved sharing her time with each and everyone one of us. It brought her so much joy sitting with all of you to hear about your adventures, your travels, your dates, how your work was going, or what great things you were doing in the world! Perhaps, she did this because it allowed her to join you in your life. But I truly believe she did this so she could then offer you praise and support in your joys and dreams! It wasn’t uncommon after talking to one of you that she would call me to brag all about the new job you got, or the awesome party you threw, or even as simple as the recent accomplishments your beautiful children had just accomplished. It was how she praised and supported you!

Now I am sure there are a million more examples to support my petition to remember my mother as Lilian the Benevolent. And in the coming days, weeks, months, and years, I ask that you share your own Songs of Praise of her.

There are no words to describe how much I will miss my mother. I pray that she inspires me and all of us to be as gracious, charitable, helpful, unselfish and well Just benevolent as she was!

I wonder what she is putting in all of those bags she plans on giving away in Heaven?

Sadly, Life Goes On

Sadly, life never does stop after you lose a parent. It will never be the same for me and my sister. But, I know that we will always carry our mother deep within our hearts. Personally, I know she will forever join Darcee and me in all of our bucket list adventures. I am sure I will see her everywhere in life and hear her laugh whenever I do something absolutely crazy or goofy. During this time, I am so very lucky to have Darcee, my family, and all of our friends who have reached out to support us and offer their prayers and thoughts. She loved so greatly and hopefully, I was able to honor Lilian Madan Gamble with a simple eulogy from her son.

Lilian Madan Gamble was a big inspiration behind The Bucket List Project. See what she meant to us in her in a Son's Eulogy for his Mom. #Mom #ILoveMyMom #Eulogy #BucketList #PersonalGrowth
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As I chase the many items on my bucket list, it seems that friends come and go from my life. But I recently read somewhere that “Friends are like stars, they come and go but the ones that stay are the ones that glow!” This is so very true as I grow older. That is why several years ago, I decided to create something I call The Wizard of Oz Dinner. For me it was a way to take the time to take to gather a couple of close friends and tell them, “Thank You for your friendship!”

Disclaimer: I struggled with wanting to tell this story on my blog. Not because I am embarrassed to share my feelings, but because in no way do I want to brag about what I did. After much consideration, I am sharing it to hopefully inspire others to tell their friends and/or family that they love them while they still have time. Oh and if I haven’t told you lately, “Thank You for your friendship and I love you!”

Saying “Thank you for your friendship” is important

Why is it so hard for us to say to those loyal friends, “Thank you for your friendship?”  Is it a sign of weakness as adults to open up and showcase our real feelings to our friends?

I don’t think so.

In fact, I believe just the opposite. In my opinion, showing your sensitive side, especially in a public setting, is a sign that of strength and a big heart.

So, what does all of this have to do with The Bucket List Project? How did saying “Thank You for your friendship” end up on our Bucket List?

Well, when I created The Bucket List Project, I found it extremely easy to add Travel and Adventure Activities to my list. But when talking with older members of Generation X, one of their biggest regrets was not telling those close to them, “thank you for your friendship!”  With this revelation, I created The Helping Others List, as a way to not only help others with their bucket list dreams but also show them that they inspire me.

Why is it so hard to tell friends what they mean to us? It doesn't have to be! Several years ago, Eric gathered a couple of friends & did just that. Go Behind the Scenes of a Wizard of Oz Dinner! #WizardOfOz #Friendship #ShowYouCare
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Behind the scenes of the Wizard of Oz Dinner

If you are a member of Gen X or any generation, there is no doubt you have seen the Wizard of Oz movie. But did you know that the author, Frank Baum, not only wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but 14 other Oz Books? When I found this out, I immediately added reading all 15 Wizard of Oz Books to my Personal Growth Bucket List!

Whether you read the books or saw the classic movie, no one can forget the famous scene when Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, aka: The Wizard of Oz, gives gifts to the four main characters. When I read this and then how their gifts were used, it inspired me to give similar gifts to the great characters in my life.

But how could I do it? Like Oscar said in the book, “I’m a very good man (At least I try to be). I’m just a very bad Wizard.” Still, how do I give away Brains, a Heart, Courage, or Adventure, to tell my friends “thanks for your friendship?”

Simple: I would choose 4 friends to become the characters of OZ, trick them into coming to dinner, tell them how much they mean to me, and give special gifts to highlight their unbelievable traits. Perhaps, this could be the best way I could say, “Thank You for your friendship!”

Dinner with the characters from Oz

It may seem cheesy to hold a themed dinner party, but if you know me at all, then you know I ooze cheesiness. I also found that it helped me express my feelings through the characters I read in the Wizard of Oz. Plus, it was weird how four of my closest friends seemed to match perfectly with the needs of the four travelers in the book.

So let us meet the four individual characters who joined me for dinner and see how I found ways to say, “thank you for your Friendship!”

1) The Scarecrow gets his diploma

“You don’t need ‘brains’. You are learning something everyday. A baby has brains, but it doesn’t know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.” ― Frank L. Baum, The Wizard of Oz

I met Mike when we both attended Holy Cross High School in New Orleans back in the early ’90s. He was a great guy who always looked out for me growing up. But even though Mike was from a Holy Cross legacy, he never finished high school. When he left, it really bothered me that my good friend wouldn’t finish with myself and the rest of the class. I was sure I would never see him again.

But something weird happened. He kept in touch. He took the time to always talk with me in good times and bad. I loved talking to him because he was always learning something new, trying new experiences, and discovering new passions. He went to culinary school and became a great chef. Then, he decided to work offshore where he became a Captain of a boat!

What was amazing to my small mind was he did all of this without a Holy Cross High School diploma. So I had to take action and show him how much his quest to grow, learn, and experience life always inspired me!

So how did this Bad Wizard give the Scarecrow “Brains”?

“Can’t you give me brains?” asked the Scarecrow. ― Frank L. Baum, The Wizard of Oz

Now, I cannot give nor did I try to give Mike “Brains”! Besides, he obviously has enough to go around. But I did want to express to Mike how much he inspires me; without performing a lobotomy.

In the book, the Wizard gives the Scarecrow a mixture of bran with pins and needles as a symbol of his “Bran-New Brains!” However, in the movie, the only thing separating Scarecrow from other great thinkers in Oz was a diploma  which the Wizard hands him.

Now, I can’t formally hand out diplomas, but at Holy Cross we have a very important creed, called the Holy Cross Man. It represents everything that the boys of Holy Cross in New Orleans strive to be as the grow into Men. To me, it represents everything Mike is and will forever be.

So, I took my own personal graduation tassel and framed it with a special copy of the Holy Cross Man and a picture of our old campus where our friendship began. At dinner, I expressed my gratitude in front of our other guests, presented him with the symbol of the Brains he always had, and hugged him!

2) The Tin Man gets his Heart

“Why, as for that,” answered Oz, “I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart.”
“That must be a matter of opinion,” said the Tin Woodman. “For my part, I will bear all the unhappiness without a murmur, if you will give me the heart.” ― Frank L. Baum, The Wizard of Oz

I have never met a more loving man than Joe. I met him when we both attended Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, as well. Though, it was strange. We were never “close” friends. But that doesn’t ever matter to Joe! With his large smile, he will walk right up to you and hug you so tight your ribs will beg for mercy while your heart overflows with joy. He is just that guy! You can’t not be happy when Joe is around. Plus if you ever get a chance to hear him sing anything, you will hear his love of life and music flowing from his voice.

Not only is he lovable, Joe also shows love towards others. One of the most amazing things he ever did was one day in January 2013, he and his friend friend Dane each ran 52.4 miles. or the length of 2 marathons! They did this because their close friend Nicole had it on her bucket list to run a full marathon. However, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and couldn’t gather the strength to run. So Joe and Dane decided to raise funds for Nicole’s treatments and expenses and ran 52.4 miles. That is one marathon for themselves and one for Nicole Teague.

So how did this Bad Wizard give the Tin Man a “Heart”?

“How about my heart?” asked the Tin Woodman. ― Frank L. Baum, The Wizard of Oz

So how on earth does a guy like Joe possibly need a heart? From what I can already tell, his has to be at least 4 times bigger than anyone’s in the world!

Joe is a Holy Cross Man 100%. In fact, it was how I tricked him into coming to the dinner. I told him I needed a Holy Cross Alumnae that Mike, my Scarecrow, knows to help me present the Holy Cross Man to him. When I told him about my “idea” for Mike, he had to be there! Not long before this dinner, we had a Holy Cross High School reunion. Many of our classmates were there catching up and enjoying themselves, especially Joe. But he seemed a bit sad, which is very unlike him! When I asked his wife, Jeanne, what was wrong, she told me that Joe was kind of bummed seeing some of us wear our old Senior Class Rings. She proceeded to tell me that his original ring was stolen from his home not long after graduation and it devastated him. To think that this man who bleeds Navy Blue and Gold and could be the heart of our Graduating class was missing a piece of his heart.

So, I called our alma mater and asked them how to get an exact replica of my class ring. Then with a little luck, I was able to present him this symbol of his missing heart, for the price of a hug! For me, this was one of the best ways to tell Joe, “thank you for your friendship!”

3) The Cowardly Lion gets his Courage

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”  ― Frank L. Baum, The Wizard of Oz

When I started working on The Bucket List Project, there was always one guy who would take the time to talk to me about my insane trips and adventures, Steve. I met Steve after he graduated college through his brother Dave. When I met him, we immediately clicked. Perhaps this was because of our mutual love for the outdoors that we both obtained through the scouts, regardless it is an easy friendship. Plus, Steve is a guys guy! He drives a truck, plays lacrosse, and likes winding down with a good cocktail or cold beer.

For me, Steve appeared during some tough times in my life. Yet, despite my struggles, he never walked away. He was always available to talk, deal with challenges, or just grab a drink and be present. His friendship has always meant the world to me.

So how did this Bad Wizard give the Cowardly Lion “Courage”?

“But how about my courage?” asked the Lion, anxiously.  ― Frank L. Baum, The Wizard of Oz

So first off, let me say that it pains me to use the adjective “Cowardly” when relating to Steve. I mean, he is a Guys Guy through and through! Plus, I really don’t want him to smack me with that lacrosse stick cause those guys are crazy tough!

When talking about our bucket lists, the number one thing Steve always talked about doing was going skydiving! Like I said, the boy is kind of crazy because if you have ever read my Anti-Bucket List, then you know that Skydiving is a big No-No on that list! But for Steve, he would go on and on about how he couldn’t wait to try it. So, when I found out and told him he could skydive at Gold Coast Skydiving an hour outside of New Orleans, I thought he was going to jump in his car and drive there immediately. But he didn’t.

So that is when I took action. I contacted Gold Coast and obtained ONE jump (cause Lord knows I wasn’t jumping too) for Steve. Then at dinner, I gave him this token of his courage and shared what he has meant being there in my life. What better way to say thank you for your friendship than helping a great friend fulfill his own bucket list dreams.

4) Dorothy goes on a trip

“if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again I won’t look any further than my own back yard Because if it isn’t there I never really lost it to begin” ―  Dorothy, from the movie: The Wizard of Oz

I met Sarah at Loyola University New Orleans our freshman year so many years ago. We instantly became friends because we were both in the music program and she is absolutely one of the most fun characters I’ve ever met. When you first look at her and her beagle, Miss Betty, you may not think wild bucket list adventurer. But don’t let this first impression mislead you, she has had some of the coolest adventures around the world!

For me, Sarah has also been a mainstay when so many friends move on. But what makes her special is that she goes out of her way to try and maintain that relationship. Don’t get me wrong, trying to have a normal text message conversation with her gives me grey hairs as it sometimes takes forever to get a response. But, what I love is that she ALWAYS responds and is always suddenly there when you truly need her.

Perhaps, that is why it was easy to see her as Dorothy.

So how did this Bad Wizard give the Dorothy her “trip home”?

“Oh, I don’t think there’s anything in that black bag for me!”― Dorothy, from the movie: The Wizard of Oz

To be honest, the Wizard failed at getting Dorothy home in both the book and movie versions. So how could I tell Sarah, “thanks for your friendship” in a Wizard of Oz sort of way?

Well, let’s rewind a little bit. First of all I had to get Sarah to show up to help me with these gifts. To be honest, I am not even sure how this humbug wizard even convinced her to attend. But like she always magically does, she was there in full force. So I had to try.

In the story, the Wizard tries to get Dorothy home by flying her over the impassable desert via hot air balloon. But we all know that didn’t work and since I don’t have a hot air balloon either, I got her a Southwest gift Card from Raise instead. That way she could fly anywhere she wanted with a simple click of her heels and maybe some computer keys! So with that, an Elvis record, and a simple hug, I was able to thank her for always being a good friend.

“Home Again”

Fyi – “Home Again” is the final chapter in Frank L. Baum’s actual The Wizard of Oz.

So, lets bring you home again. If you have made it this far then you have gone all the way behind the scenes of a Wizard of Oz Dinner. Thank you for allowing me to share my story. I hope that this post helps you think of ways to tell your own friends, “thank you for your friendship!”

Have you ever told your friends how much they inspire you? Is it on your bucket list to be better at expressing gratitude? What is one way you recently showed a friend how much you appreciate them?

Let us know in the comments below what you think or what you did and maybe you will help someone else with their bucket list dreams!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your favorite Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post, “Behind the Scenes of a Wizard of Oz Dinner” may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post Behind the Scenes of a Wizard of Oz Dinner appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

At the end of each December, I often sit down with my Bucket List notebook and ponder what I want to accomplish and where I want to go for the coming year. For me, I find that writing out a time line not only helps me plan what I want to do but gets me excited about what the coming year has to offer. If you would like to see what we did in 2017, check our 2017 Completed Items.

So how do I choose what do do?

When it comes to inspiration for adding items to my bucket list, there is no doubt that movies inspire me. I love watching movies! They allow me to enter new worlds, explore amazing adventures, and learn about different cultures from around the world. So for my 2018 Bucket List Hopes and Goals, the Bucket List Project is going to the movies, so to speak.

Below I have listed what my 2018 Bucket List Hopes and Goals are and for fun I have added some fun movies we found on Fandango that have helped inspire me. Feel free to click on the movies below and see why these movies may have inspired me!

In 2018, the Bucket List Project's Hopes & Goals are being inspired by Movies. Have you seen this list yet? #bucketlist #2018bucketlist #InspiringMovies
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January

The Brothers Grimm

• #210) Read Books of Fables:
  • #6) Grimms’ Fairy Tales

February

Ratatouille

• #129) Learn How to Make “GrandMom’s Pizza Pie”

March

Rocky IV

• #5) See my 6 Pack Abs

April

Romancing the Stone

• #150) Bath in Volcan del Totumo near Cartagena, Colombia
• #200) Know my home State of Louisiana:
  • #i) Friday “Business” Lunch at Galatoire’s

May

Secretariat

• #78) Go to the Kentucky Derby
• #200) Know my home State of Louisiana:
  • q) Climb Mt Driskill
  •  r) Explore the history of Bonnie & Clyde in Gibsland

June

Gulliver’s Travels

• #203) Read Classic Adventure Books:
  • #4) Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

July

A Walk In The Woods

• #103) Fullfill 1 Bucket List Item for Anyone who helps me with 1 of mine!
  • Backpack the Pacific Crest Trail & Scale Mt. Whitney in California with Brian Simpson

August

Casablanca

• #156) Travel to Chefchaoueh (the Blue City) of Morocco
• #158) Visit my 5th of the 7 Continents (Africa)
• #155) Ride a Camel in the Sahara Desert

September

• #114) Watch a Movie at a Real Drive In Movie Theater in a Car

October

The Book of Life

• #200) Know my home State of Louisiana:
  •  f) Eat a Zwolle Tamale
• #167) Celebrate Dia De Muertos in Mexico

November

Against All Odds

• #179) Swim in the Cenote at Ik Kil, Yucatan, Mexico
• #180) See the Mayan Temples of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
• #130) Eat weird things:
  • #9) Eat Escamoles (aka: ant larvae) in Mexico

December

Steel Magnolias

• #200) Know my home State of Louisiana:
  • k) Return to and eat Meat Pies at Lasyone’s in Natchitoches

The Bucket List Project has created their 2018 hopes and goals that have been all been inspired by movies! #Bucketlist #2018bucketlist #inspiringmovies
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Whenever Possible this Year

• #200) Continue to Explore my home state of Louisiana
• #37) Be in a Movie: Be seen
• #38) Be in TV Show Episode
• #39) Be in a National Commercial
• Try to Make Amends with 1 Person on my List

So what do you think about The Bucket List Project’s 2018 Bucket List hopes and Goals?  Is there anything on the calendar you think is missing that I need to put on there this year? Have you see any of these movies? Which movies inspired you to chase a bucket list dream? Please let me know in the comments below!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post contain affiliate links for fun movies we watch on Fandango. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep The Bucket List Project Blog free, fun, and community supported! I will never recommend a product I don’t genuinely believe in and trust.

The post 2018 BUCKET LIST HOPES AND GOALS appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

Editor’s Note: The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a Little Luck was originally published May 2016 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

When I was creating my Bucket List Project several years ago, I remember being able to bang out 80+ things in the initial writing of my list in that old composite notebook. It came easy to put down travel, adventure, and even personal growth items on my list! But when I went to read what I had written down, almost off of them were about me! This kind of disturbed me a little cause I was raised to always help others whenever a situation presented itself. So I thought that I needed to make sure that I created a part of my bucket list devoted to trying to give back to the world or offering help to those who may need a little bit, hence The Helping Others List.

Now anyone could put “FIND THE CURE TO CANCER!” or even a bit more sensible, “#7) Do Missionary Work in a 3rd World Country” on their list like I did. But then I came across a quote that inspired me:

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ― Mother Teresa

Can you image, Mother Teresa admitting that? I mean she must have cared for more sick and helpless people in Calcutta than I can even imagine. But I stopped. I realized that it even if I cant do something major (like toss a boulder) then maybe I can manage small. Maybe, a little genuine project could be my little stones to cast! Right?

Therefore, I started dreaming of creative little ways to help, say thank you, or just give back to the world! Now this The Helping Others List is a work in progress but its hands down one of my favorite parts of my overall Bucket List Project because it allows me to come up with creative ways to accomplish the main goal of this category like:

141) Find a Leaf Clovers & Give it away to Someone Who Needs Luck!

Why Share a 4 Leaf Clover with Someone?

So why would anyone need a 4 Leaf Clover? How does that Help others & make ripples in waters of life?

Well sometimes we hit a bump in the road. We may pray for improvement & hope for a bit of Luck to carry us out of a storm! So my thought was that these 4 Leaf Clovers, I had found would hopefully assist people who needed some hope. It may or may not actually be Lucky but to me, they are Symbols that someone out there is rooting for, praying for, & Loves you!

Now according to lore, they Say that each of the 4 Leaves of a Clover stands for Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck! So whichever of the 4 someone needed (perhaps all 4), my hope was they got them!

Then when they had come to their Lucky Place, my hope was that they would “Gift” the 4 Leaf Clover to someone who truly needs it & if Possible, let me know where it is

A few years back, The Bucket List Project found SIX 4-Leaf Clovers in New Orleans! Of course it was hard but what they did with them was so EASY that even you can do it! Find out how you can Share a Little Luck with others!
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How to find a Four Leaf Clover

So is finding a 4 leaf clover totally dumb luck? I mean we all hear the stories of 4 leaf clovers but has anyone actually seen even 1 in person? I mean tradition holds that if you find a white clover that has four leaves, you are lucky. So am I trying to force the impossible? The answer is and was for me, not if you believe you can find them and then a little research.

In doing our research, we found that just 1 out of every 10,000 white clovers has four-leaves. If the odds of finding a four-leaf clover are truly 1-in-10,000, how much area do you need for 10,000 clovers and where do you find those patches? Well in New Orleans, after a little research, good weather, and “Luck”, I found four leaf clovers in two separate places!

The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a little Luck

So, as you can see, between the 2 areas, I was lucky enough to find six actual 4 Leaf Clovers (3 in each area).

Awesome, right?!?!

After bringing these 6 shamrocks home, it was time to create some magic! I went online and found these 3.5×5 Rustic Distressed Wooden table top frames from Amazon so that I could display them.  I wrote special notes for each frame discussing where I had found this specific 4 leaf clover, the idea behind our project to share a little luck, and what my hopes where with these special shamrocks.

But then the hard part came. Who out there needed me to send them this token of Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck?

To be honest, I struggled at first to figure out the who and the why! This was strange because I didn’t have issues like this when I was putting together my Wizard of Oz Dinner idea! I mean, like the famous Wizard said in the book, “I’m a very good man (At least I try to be). I’m just a very bad Wizard.” 

So I sat down and thought and tried to discover the inspiration behind these specific 4 leaf clovers. Perhaps where they were found could help me find the right people! 

The 4 Leaf Clovers of Hope

Now, with the two 4 Leaf Clovers I found by Flood St & Dorgenois St in New Orleans, I realized that they were coming up in vacant lots where homes were destroyed by the levee breach from Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. To me, these lucky little shamrocks reminded me that despite unbelievable devastation, life would find a way to bring beauty back! Therefore, I felt that these 4 leaf clovers embodied a spirit of Rebirth, Regrowth, & Renewal! So, I needed to send these 2 clovers with their story to someone who needed a 2nd chance!

The 4 Leaf Clovers of Strength

Next I found two 4 leaf clovers in Audubon Park next to the Famous Etienne de Boré Oak, or the Tree of Life. But for some reason these clovers gave me a different motive. See, the Tree Of Life is a famous oak tree here in New Orleans, that’s nearly 400 years old. It has seen New Orleans through its greatest and worst times yet still continues to Stand Strong and Grow! But to Celtic People, the Tree Of Life represents Wisdom, Longevity, & most of all, Strength!  So, I felt that these 2 needed to go out to people who were searching for strength.

So with these inspirations in mind, I went on a mission to find these 4 leaf clovers a home. It was a bit weird asking for people in pain or were just needing a bit of luck. But with a little effort, we gave away the last of my 4 frames in the Summer of 2015.

Perhaps these very, small “stones” that were cast across the waters can create many ripples.

Have you ever found a four leaf clover before? Do you feel that they are lucky? Would you be willing to share them with someone else who needs it more than you? Or More importantly, what Ways to Help Others do you have on your own Bucket List? Let us know in the comments below & perhaps inspire someone to make a small ripple today!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post, “The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a little Luck” may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a little Luck appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

Ok So I realize that it is already mid May and that 1/3rd of 2016 is already over but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t plan it out!  I just didn’t share it yet!   In fact, every January, I tend to sit down post Christmas and start Bucketlistlusting (is that a word?) from my Old Notebook.  Then I literally create a year graph and draw out how I think I can manage it.  Then I place it by my notebook in a place where I and anyone can see it to always remind me of my commitment to my dreams, hopes, and goals of the year!

But if you read the Origin of our Bucket List Project, I stated that I needed to always post it online for 3 Main Reasons:

1) I need Everyone’s help…keep me accountable, help me find ways to accomplish my goals, or just cheer me on!!

2) I want to help others with their own Bucket List Items.  #103 on my list is to Help anyone Complete an Item on their Bucket List within 1 year of them Helping me Completing one of mine!!

3) I want to Inspire People to Dream & then to GO OUT & COMPLETE THEIR BUCKET LIST!  If I can do this, then ANYONE CAN!  Too many people, my Friends & Family included, just go through life living a mediocre existence!

Therefore, I am here now to post up my 2016 goals for The Bucket List Project & perhaps some insights on how I am going to pursue these items this year.

Now 2016 is a Special year for me in that on February 25th, I actually took my 40th lap around the Sun!  So I decided to go after a couple of big ticket items. So Below, I will list what I had written on my Graph and add or tell you what I have already changed.  Let me know in the comments below if there is anything that is on your list this year or is there anything else that I should add or subtract.  Also, let me know if you want to join me on any of these adventures or projects!

February

• #199) Raise a Minimum of $2,500 for a Charity I Care for Angel’s Place in New Orleans
• #200) Explore my home state of Louisiana
  • c)  See the Preservation Hall Show Live

March

• #202) Ride in a Submersive Underwater Bubble (S.U.B.) in the Bahamas

April

• #118) Geocache in 4 Cities (#1 New Orleans)
• #200) Explore my home state of Louisiana
  • b)Visit Tabasco on Avery Island
  • g) Boudin & Beer at Fred’s Lounge in Mamou
  • h) Zydeco Brunch at Café Des Amis in Breaux Bridge
  • s) Drive the Bayou Teche Byway

May

• #78) Experience the Kentucky Derby
• #104) Finish Reading the 5 Major “Arts” Books
• #203) Start Reading my 11 Classic Adventure Books
• #77) Experience the Indy 500

June

• #188) See the Synchronous Fireflies in Elkmont, Tennessee
• #5) See my 6 Pack Abs

The Next 3 were added to June/July 

• #109) Walk the Camino de Santiago from France to Santiago, Espana
• #185) Visit and Stay with 3 Different Friends who live in Foreign Countries so that I can Reconnect with Old Friends & See that Country through Local Eyes (My Family in Leon, Espana while I am Hiking the Camino)
• #153) Drink Port Wine in Portugal

July

• Do one of my MAKE AMENDS Items hopefully!

August

• #55) Return to Fenway Baseball Park to See the Red Sox Play the Yankees
• #54) Go to a Summer Olympics
• #124) Travel to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
• #185) Visit and Stay with 3 Different Friends who live in Foreign Countries so that I can Reconnect with Old Friends & See that Country through Local Eyes (My Brazilian Friends I met in 2012)

September

• #187) Travel to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada
• #108) Do 4+ Outdoor Adventure “Mud Races” (4th & Final is the Spartan near Banff, Alberta, CA)

October

• #167) Celebrate Dia De Muertos in Mexico
• #185) Visit and Stay with 3 Different Friends who live in Foreign Countries so that I can Reconnect with Old Friends & See that Country through Local Eyes (Stay or Visit with Mike Poissenot for Dia De Muertos in Mexico)

November

• #70) Climb the Statue of Liberty
• #79) See the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Person in NYC
• #89) Travel to the Niagara Falls

December

• PREPARE FOR THE ADVENTURE OF MY LIFE!!!!!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

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