Have you ever wanted to do something but procrastinated so long you could never do it? I’ve done this quite a bit and was reminded of it yesterday while driving.
When I was college, there was a Roy Rogers restaurant that I would pass every day on my commute. I had always wanted to stop there to just see what it was like. College was a busy time for me so I kept putting my trip to the restaurant off (even though it would have taken me less than five minutes to stop and pickup my food).
So then I graduated and got a job and passing the restaurant was no longer part of my daily routine. I still had chances to stop as I’d drive by it every weekend when I visited the young lady I was dating. Then we got married and lived less than five miles from the restaurant so I kept saying “some day I’m going to check out that place.”
Well, we then moved and once again I was driving past the restaurant every day. For the two and half years I commuted past it, I was again too busy to take the time to stop. A few years later, I noticed that the Roy Rogers had now become a McDonalds.
Now this may seem silly considering we all have goals that seem much more important. But we can’t always focus 100% on our top three goals and be happy. There are other things we need in life besides success in our businesses. Sometimes it’s a trip, a gadget, entertainment or a meal.
A few people I admire told me about their 100 dream to do list: a list of 100 things they must do before they die. This can include things like visiting a certain city or country, taking a ride in a hot air balloon, watching all three “Back to the future” movies back to back, or eating a meal at a certain restaurant. They use this list to add some spice to their business and personal development goals and some even combine them (attending a seminar to help them grow their business in a city or country they’ve always wanted to visit).
My two pieces of advice for today are: 1. Create such a list of the things you’ve always wanted to do (it doesn’t need to be 100 items either, 25 or 30 is fine); 2: Don’t miss an opportunity to do something on your list when you have the chance. You’ll most like regret it more if you don’t do it.
James Feudo owns the Boston Web Design Agency JVF Solutions and loves blogging about personal development and communication in his spare time.