You’ve heard of a Bucket List before. But here’s my problem with it: it’s a list of things to do before you die. But what about a list of things to achieve during your lifetime? That’s what a Sunny Set is for. Rather than focusing on the destination, a Sunny Set emphasizes the journey.
I wrote my first Sunny Set two years ago and I am constantly adding new goals to it. The list not only encourages you to set goals for yourself, it also inspires you to reach outside of your comfort zone. It gives you that initial burst of inspiration that you need to see the Great Wall of China or to go skydiving (the classic). It challenges you to not only identify your dreams but to go out and actually pursue them.
Why is such a Set so motivating? Because you write it down. It’s great to think about where you want to go and what you want to do, but when you actually take the time to write it down for yourself, it becomes your first step in a plan of action. It can be hard to admit to ourselves what our dreams are because we may see them as unfathomable or unrealistic. But writing down our goals is essential: we are allowing ourselves to believe in ourselves. It takes courage and faith to make our dreams a reality.
Furthermore, as time passes, and as your see more of the goals on your Sunny Set come to fruition, it is an extremely rewarding feeling. To know that you have set out to do something and have actually done it is immensely gratifying.
You won’t achieve every goal that you set out to do. What matters is that you try. When fear holds us back from achieving our dreams, we are withholding happiness from ourselves. We should constantly strive to learn, to challenge, and to prevail so that we can become stronger, smarter, and happier people. We owe it to ourselves. I think a key way to do this is to define what we want to do with our life and then attempt to do it. The details of success or failure don’t always matter, what matters is that we did it in the first place.
You may be wondering what you should write on your Sunny Set. The possibilities are endless but here are some of mine to help you get started:
1. Tra1vel everywhere in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz. (A great book!)
2. Hatch and raise a chick. (Tried and failed twice but I’ll keep trying!)
3. Eat gelato in Italy.
4. Work for Disney.
5. Compete in a ballroom dance competition.
6. Meet Julie Andrews.
7. Climb Mount Whitney.
8. Hold a baby tiger.
9. Get my SCUBA degree.
10. Write my first book. (On the shelves this summer hopefully!)
There is no goal too big or too small—write down whatever your heart desires. And share your goals with your family and friends—it’s so much more fun to achieve your goals with the people you love.
You’ve heard of a Bucket List before. But here’s my problem with it: it’s a list of things to do before you die. But what about a list of things to achieve during your lifetime? That’s what a Sunny Set is for. Rather than focusing on the destination, a Sunny Set emphasizes the journey.