Want to Make a Change? Put it in Writing!

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Want to Make a Change?  Put it in Writing! 

When it comes to making life changes, I write them down – I make a list.  Why?  Well, for this, I have two sayings:

1. “It only takes two little words to turn a ‘Bucket List’ into a ‘To Do List.’”
2. “Making a “To Do” list turns a dream into a plan.”

 
Nearly every time I’ve made a change in my life, large or small, I started by making a list.  When I changed my career.  When I got out of debt.  When I wanted to move across the country, and when I was hoping to travel across an ocean.   Doing so has moved me (quite literally!) from “I’m considering this” to “I’m doing this”. 

Granted, “turning a wish list into a to do list” may be over simplifying it a bit… there’s a process.  But even grocery shopping is more effective when you’re armed with a list!

Let’s take my dream to start traveling internationally; I took that one item off my “Bucket List” and broke it down into the simplest of steps.  I didn't worry about how I would accomplish it or anything else, just what I would need to do to go from point A to point B.

Travel Abroad

1. Get a passport
2. Pick a destination
3. Pick date
4. Buy a plane ticket
5. Book lodgings

 
And then I just started doing them.  You can Click Here to read my other blog “Daydream Voyages; How I Became a Solo Woman World Traveler in My 50’s” if you’d like the details of how I made it all happen.

I did the same when I wanted to move three thousand miles back to my hometown.  The thought alone felt overwhelmingly prohibitive but then I wrote it down:

Pre-Move Research

1. Research current cost of living in my hometown.
2. Check out the job market.
3. Determine the cost of the entire move.
4. Confirm my finances can comfortably support the move or start a comprehensive savings plan

OK!  I can do that!  Then I did the same with the physical move.

Moving To Do List

1. Find a place to live (or a place to land temporarily)
2. Make calls to places that are hiring, build professional relationships, set up interviews.
3. Give my notices.
4. Reserve a moving truck
5. Purge and pack my belongings. (Authors note: Friends and family will help for free… But feeding them for their generosity is just good manners! And it’s fun!)
6. Have a yard sale and sell stuff on Craigslist
7. Load the truck and go.

When you break it down in to bite sized morsels you can create a realistic, doable plan of action.  Focus on one task at a time and the outcome will take care of itself. 

The point is, you can either tell yourself it’s impossible, so why bother? or you can begin chipping away at a list. Time goes by either way.  Want to move to your dream town?  Turn your passion into your career?  Heal your past?  You can.  People do it all the time. 

It’s OK to start small… the more you do it the more you’ll see that it can be done.  This is not just some Rah Rah cheerleader new age BS.  I know.  I’ve done it.  xoAmie
 
Are you a list maker?
​Do you have something that you'd love to do but it feels too big an undertaking?
What list will you make today?
Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

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