While I’ve read about Maggie Mason’s Mighty Life List numerous times, it has always seemed like a wonderful activity that I would tackle someday (i.e., never today). The Mighty Life List is a list of 100 or so things to do during your life. Recently, while reading Victoria’s (of SFGIRLBYBAY) post about her own list, I found myself scrawling random items onto note paper. It felt so exhilarating to dream VERY big about absolutely everything. I find myself dreaming bigger than usual and not restricting myself to what seems merely practical. I am at the earliest stages of this list –> capturing wildly big dreams as they come to me and collating them into a single list. There is no editing at this stage. There is also no counting (i.e., just one item at a time). [Just a note: I've made up these very random rules!]
Now that I’ve spent over a week dreaming, I’m going to share my list so far. I plan to keep adding to this list and then at some point refine the list to 100 items so I can begin to focus on actually doing and not just listing/dreaming!
I’ll share Victoria’s description and then my “little” yet very mighty list. I’ve also dropped the “life” from my list’s name because it feels a bit less scary to approach.
i encourage you all to create your own mighty life list — 100 or so things you’d like to accomplish in your lifetime. putting it all down on paper makes all those dreams just a little less daunting, and sharing them with others, one step closer to accomplishing. you never know who might be able to help you cross something off your list, or who you might be able to help cross something off of theirs — that’s a pretty swell feeling, too! have you got a great group of women to round up and create some mighty life lists? do it – think of it as book club, but where you get to write your own happy ending.
carolyn’s mighty list
launch a gorgeous paper pop-up shop | attend new york fashion week with my mom and sister | host a glittery zen retreat/workshop (think yoga, glitter, and champagne) | practice yoga everyday | learn to knit | take a watercolor class (for super non-creative beginners) | commission a custom illustration of my wedding dress to hang in my home | create a blurb wedding coffee book | have a date night with my hubby once a week forever | create a line of jewelry with my sister | attend the national stationery show | host a workshop/event in my dream space in miami | learn how to use photoshop | donate my book to at least one cancer center/support group in each state (book genies?!) | join a book club | adopt | build a dream home | write a handwritten thank-you note everyday | teach a journaling workshop | learn to bake | have a regular girls’ night with friends | attend a yoga retreat | be a vegetarian for a week | give mindfully for 29 days | appoint an email genie so i can go on email sabbatical | write and publish a second book | create a unique coffee table quote book (beautiful nourishment for the eyes and the soul) | sip champagne along the seine in paris with my hubby | learn how to create my own perfect iced coffee | throw a holiday party | create a signature gift wrap style | host a “just because” soiree | be a correspondent for a national news show | wear anything but jeans for 30 days | design a custom charm for my mom’s charm bracelet | take a trip with my brother and sister | be a mentor | help someone learn how to read | help to de-stigmatize psychology and mental health | get regular massages | learn how to do a cartwheel | take a photo-a-day for one month | go on a picnic in paris | publish a blog-post a day for seven days | organize evernote so it’s a complete digital sanctuary of information and inspiration | write a guest post for 100 different blogs | train for and run a half marathon | change my twitter username | be a calm traveler (create self-care rituals to help with this) | create a tiny line of exquisite candles | tackle 50 things that i think i can’t do.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this list and that I’m part of a few of them!!
you are! it was so much fun to create and i can’t wait to make this list a part of my life :)
I’ve never thought of doing this. What a great idea!
I just recently decided I also needed to ‘organize Evernote so it’s a complete digital sanctuary of information and inspiration’. I’m still working on it, but I’m so pleased with how it’s come together so far! I’ve been sharing notebooks with my mum who is on the other side of the world, and it’s made life so much easier!
Now I’m going to have to think bigger and start making my own list! Thanks for the suggestion!
How cool! I’ve never heard of Mighty List, but now I’m going to make my own. Thanks for sharing your list! I’m inspired!!
It is a good thing to have a list of things we want to accomplish. Like Freeman and Nicholson in bucket list. Well it doesn’t have to be grand or those nearing impossibility. simple attainable things could do the trick. Thanks for sharing your list. I’ll be thinking of my own, now, bye.
So happy you’re going to create a list as well. I would love to see it if you post it :)!
I think I want to copy your list…maybe we should do a glitter zen retreat together? I know of a great art studio in Nortnern California ;)
Yes please! That would be amazing!!
Thank you for sharing this! This is the first time I encountered the mighty list and I want to do this too. Very very hopeful and inspiring!
:)
Yay! Thank you for sharing :)
It is a good thing to experience a listing of things we want to accomplish. Like Freeman and Nicholson in bucket list. Well it doesn’t have to be grand or those nearing impossibility. simple attainable things could do just fine. Thanks for sharing your list.
This is such a cool idea. Having all your dreams written down makes them more definite and easier to implement. They say that your goals are easier to reach if you visualize them as if they already happened :).
What a great idea! Never heard of the Mighty Life List before. Love the glittery yoga champagne zen retreat idea – where can I sign up? :) Making an inspiring coffee table quote book is a long time dream of mine. So that’s definitely a thing that will go into my mighty list as well. Inspired to start working on my list!
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