50 New Things

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Tracy Niemier, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

I turned 50 this year so I had the idea of thinking of 50 new things I had never done before, and completing them before I turned 51. I thought of some obvious things like run a 50k race and a 50 miler, both distances I had never done before, and to run 50 days in a row, another running goal. I thought of some things I needed to do to advance my career, like learning new technology and skills, and some things I had thought about doing for years and that I had never gotten around to. On my list were some hiking trails that I had always meant to check out, and some common experiences I had never tried (like getting a pedicure!).
I started with a sort of bucket list with about 25 things on it and my plan was to put a date and a checkmark when I accomplished the goal. My thought was that I would keep adding things to the list as I thought of them and then I could accomplish them and check them off.
Some days I would notice that I was doing an activity that I had never done before and I would think this should be on my list. So I would go home and write it in with the date and check it off.
That got me thinking about who I want to be as I am moving through the world and my life. It is great to be the kind of person who can set a goal that is meaningful and then plan and carry it through. In addition to that, I realized I also want to live with an attitude of openness to new things, new opportunities and new experiences every day. I like to have the kind of open mind that can recognize an opportunity as it is manifesting, right in front of me. I want to have the flexibility of time and spirit to grab a chance to have some fun when the moment presents itself.
My 50 New Things has become more than a simple bucket list. It has evolved into an Archive of Awareness and a reminder to let my heart and mind be open to the joy that is available to me when I just…notice.