Your Life Coach

10 Important Lists to Write Before You Die

Some people are very much ‘into’ writing lists; shopping lists, ToDo lists, Christmas Card lists etc.. These tend to be people who like to be organized, like to have things planned ahead or maybe just worry about forgetting something if they do not write things down. There is value in writing lists if the lists work for you. I always maintain with my clients that any list must work for them, it must serve a purpose and that the writing of a list should not be a substitute for actually doing the things.

As you browse through the internet, you will no doubt come across numerous lists on various blogs. Some of the lists may be serious and others quite comical. What, with your indulgence, I’d like to do here is present yet another list! This time it is a list of lists, 10 lists in fact, that you could write before you die.

This activity was prompted by a client of mine who is in his mid nineties. As with many elderly clients, he wanted to look back on his life and try to memorize it before his memory finally fades, which is sadly happening very quickly. He also wanted to leave these memories as part of his legacy to his two daughters, in the hope not just that they would remember him but also that there might be something for them to learn from his life.

In working together, the client and I started to categorize all the things he had done and the memories he had. At the end of this we found we had quite a list of categories. We then spent a few days on each category, listing the things he could recall and what he learned from them.

So here are the list of lists we came up with, perhaps other people might like to try the same exercise. Maybe you could do it with someone in your family who is elderly or losing their memory, perhaps you might like to do it for yourself.  You do not have to be old or close to dying, you could make a start will still quite young, after all you can always change or add to your lists as you get older and have more experiences.

 As you go through life, you experience many things, you achieve many things, visit places and meet people. Here are the 10 lists you could write to help you and others recall all these things;

1. 10 people who most helped me in my life. – each of us meet people as we go through life, many of them help us or have an influence upon us. Sometimes we may not realise their influence at the time. Quite often we forget or do not get a chance to thank them. This list is an opportunity to acknowledge those people and to express your thanks.
2. 10 most memorable places I visited – I does not matter whether it is your neighbor’s yard, the top of a mountain or an ancient site, just list the 10 places that have been most memorable to you.
3. 3 best things I ever made – Some of us are more creative than others, for the less creative among us it is easy to forget things we made. For the more creative perhaps it can be difficult to choose our top three. It does not matter whether it is simply a shelf you put up or a flower garden you planted or maybe a meal you cooked. Give yourself recognition for having contributed in some way.
4. 5 best days in my life – Some days may clearly stand out, a wedding day for example or children’s births. Give yourself the time to reflect upon 5 days that really meant something for you.
5. 10 best friends I ever had – Some of your friends may still be with you, others may now be far away and some may, sadly, no longer be alive. This is an opportunity to recall those friends, say what their friendship has meant for you and thank them for their friendship.
6. 5 best journeys I ever made – In some ways this may link to number 2 but sometimes not. After all, it is often said that it is better to travel than to arrive. This is an chance to recall those journeys that made an impression upon you, maybe because they were adventurous or maybe because of the people you travelled with or maybe the things you saw on the way.
7. 10 things that gave me most pleasure – We all have things, things given to us as gifts, things we buy ourselves and things we find. Some of these things just come and go and are forgotten about but other things make an impression upon us for some reason, maybe their beauty, maybe their cost, maybe because of the circumstances in which they came into our possession. Here is a chance to identify the best things you ever had and to say why.
8. 5 best books/movies/TV series in my lifetime – Some people may be able to list more than 5 of course and why not? Here though try to list your top 5 and see if you can give reasons for your choice. You can pick and mix any of the art forms if you wish. This is an opportunity to acknowledge that the arts and literatire can have an effect upon your life.
9. 5 best gifts anyone ever gave me – this again may link to number 7 but here we are looking at things that were given to you. There are two aspects of gifts; the gift itself and the person giving the gift. Try to recall not only the gift but also who gave it to you and why it was one of the best for you.
10. 10 Things I wish I had done but didn’t – This may seem a strange one to end with but the idea is not to get sorrowful and look at regrets or lost opportunities. This is to be a list of things that others could do well to take note so that they too do not miss out. It can also be an opportunity to express hidden dreams and talents, you never know, it may not be too late to do at least one of them!

So there you are, 10 lists to write before you die .. what do you think?

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