Hey Listers,

With every New Year come new resolutions. Some people resolve to quit smoking, some to lose weight, some resolve to get out debt – some people just resolve to follow through with previous resolutions. Even with generic resolutions like these, a whopping 85 percent of people fail to succeed.

The problem lies in the longevity of the resolution. Quitting an addiction cold-turkey is nearly impossible. Losing weight is a difficult task to begin with. To accomplish it, then keep it off for 12 months, is even harder. And getting out of debt is a task our country’s leaders can’t even tackle. So what makes you think every January you will be able to jump head first into solutions for these problems?

What you should be doing is making bucket lists. A bucket list is a resolution for life. It’s not something you need to accomplish tomorrow. It’s not something you need to even start tomorrow. A bucket list is a list of lifelong goals, goals to complete before you “kick the bucket.” Don’t consider it a “wish list,” you need the mindset that this is a list of things you WILL accomplish before you die, not thing you just WANT to accomplish.

It’s just like a to-do list. You shouldn’t make your daily to-do list full of just the most difficult tasks. Instead of just writing “run 3 miles” or “finish project” or “clean the house” – add some simple tasks like “brush your teeth” and “eat breakfast” and “put on some clothes”. These tasks will allow you to cross things off, and give you a sense of accomplishment as you progress through your day. Instead of staring at those substantial tasks and procrastinating as long as possible, you will jump right in and start check-marking boxes.

Don’t make your bucket list full of things you’d hate to do but know you should. A don’t make a list of completely impossible tasks, aka resolutions. You can have some aspirational goals, like make a million dollars, kiss Keira Knightley, or drive a flying car – knowing they may be unreachable, they may still help you strive to reach other “un-listed” things.

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