Table Of ContentDream It.
List It.
How to Live a
Bigger & Bolder Life, from
the Life List Experts at
43Things.com
with Lia Steakley
Workman Publishing, New York
Do
It!
Copyright © 2008 by The Robot Co-Op, Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced—mechanically, electronically, or by any other
means, including photocopying—without written permission
of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by
Thomas Allen & Son Limited.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available.
ISBN 978-0-7611-5126-5
Workman books are available at special discounts when
purchased in bulk for premiums and sales promotions
as well as for fund-raising or educational use.
Special editions or book excerpts can also be created
to specifcation. For details, contact the Special Sales Director
at the address below.
Cover and interior design by
Francesca Messina
Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
225 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014-4381
www.workman.com
Printed in the United States of America
First printing November 2008
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acknowledgments
The Robot Co-Op (the folks behind 43 Things) thanks
the over 1.5 million users who made 43Things.com what
it is today—you have contributed to the community that
made this book and 43Things.com a reality. You rock.
Lia thanks the 43Things.com members for courageously
pursuing the possibilities, sharing their life goals and
achievements, and continually proving that listing your
dreams is the best way to do it; her husband, Russell, for
assisting in accomplishing a monumental goal on her life list
(write a book . . . check); and The Robot Co-Op for viewing
life as a grand experiment rather than a perfunctory formula.
We would like to thank the visionary team at
Workman Publishing for recognizing the passion of
the 43Things.com community and expertly translating
it into a new medium. Special thanks to our editor, Maisie
Tivnan, whose incisive editing made this book better
in hundreds of ways, large and small; Michael Miller for
mining the depths of 43Things.com for more inspiring goals
and stories; Matthew Benjamin for getting the ball rolling;
and Ruth Sullivan for her patience, wisdom, and guidance.
43 Chapters
for Your 43 Things
A Message from 1 0 Stay Focused
43 Things page 91
page vii
1 1 Make Music
Ten Rules for page 99
Creating and
1 2 Be a Better
Conquering Your
Person
Life List page 109
page xi
1 3 Be Healthy
1 Understand Myself page 119
page 1
1 4 Get a Pet
2 Learn New Things page 131
page 11
1 5 Be Happy
3 Be More page 139
Adventurous
page 21 1 6 Love My Job
page 151
4 Make a Difference
page 31 1 7 Stop It
page 161
5 Fix My Finances
page 41 1 8 Find Inner Peace
page 173
6 Live in the
Moment 1 9 Have More
page 53 Friends
page 183
7 Reconnect with
Loved Ones 2 0 Enjoy Nature
page 63 page 191
8 Cook More 2 1 Develop
page 73 Supernatural
Powers
9 Be Independent page 201
page 83
43 Chapters
for Your 43 Things
2 2 Get Out More 3 5 Be Famous
page 209 page 341
2 3 Read More 3 6 Have a Family
page 219 page 351
2 4 Create 3 7 Document
page 229 My Life
page 361
2 5 Ignite Change
page 239 3 8 Get It On
page 369
2 6 Be Silly
page 251 3 9 Build Something
page 377
2 7 Be More Organized
page 261 4 0 Continue My
Education
2 8 Find Love
page 387
page 271
4 1 Do Something
2 9 Compete
page 281 Daring
page 397
3 0 Travel More
page 289 4 2 Finish What
I Start
3 1 Reinvent Myself page 407
page 303
4 3 100 Things That
3 2 Have Faith Make Me Happy
page 311 (Besides Money)
page 415
3 3 Dance!
page 321 About the Authors
page 430
3 4 Save the Planet
page 331
A Message from
43 Things
A Message from
Remember your third grade self?
One thing you really had going for you was an
unrestricted imagination. When people asked (and
they often did), “What do you want to be when you
grow up?” you had a ready answer. Sometimes more
than one. Back then, your response could change
daily—and wildly—from veterinarian to talk show
host to astronaut. There were no limits
to your imagined future or to
the many things you could be
and do.
Somewhere along the line, the focus of our
dreams downshifts from what’s imaginable to what’s
attainable—from what’s fun to what’s practical, from
what’s risky to what’s responsible. Ambitions of playing
in the NFL are dulled by playing (and losing) intramural
college games, the desire to learn how to fy never gets
off the ground, and aspirations to become a painter are
put on hold for a job that pays. Life goes on, but not
necessarily in the direction you had hoped. Or it goes on
so predictably that you forget what it was like to imagine
the unimaginable for yourself. You forget how to dream.
vii vii
The idea of a life list is simple. What is it that
you’d like to do but haven’t taken the time or had the
motivation to do? Bike across the country? Achieve
enlightenment? Go skinny-dipping? Build a house
with Habitat for Humanity? We believe that the very
act of writing ideas down helps you answer the
question “What do I really want to
do with my life?” and puts you on the
path toward accomplishing it. Creating a list—with
the serious intent of checking things off—gives focus
to dreams, defeats self-imposed limitations, and
motivates you to achieve goals that once seemed lofty
or unrealistic.
Sharing that list with others is just as powerful.
Going public holds you accountable and connects
you to new networks of serendipitous support. It was
this very idea that inspired 43 Things. The website
was started by three friends who wanted to form a
company that could make our lives and the lives of
others more meaningful. After trading paper lists of
our goals, we concluded that a life list is a great way
to communicate with and support each other, and so
43Things.com was born. The site helps you create
your life list and then share your goals with more than
1.5 million other users.
Since its inception, 43Things.com has grown
into an online encyclopedia of more than 1.3 million
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Dream It. List It. Do It!
goals contributed by users from around the world.
Dream It. List It. Do It! draws from the most interesting
and inspiring of these goals to give you the broadest
spectrum of life-changing possibilities and organizes
them into 43 categories ranging from “Ignite Change”
and “Be Silly” to “Fix My Finances” and “Do Something
Daring.” Sometimes it’s just fun to see what other people
dream about, not to mention what goals many of us
have in common. (We’ve boldfaceed some of the most
popular goals on the site.)
In addition, the book is packed with helpful, practical
advice on how to accomplish hundreds of different
goals and connects you directly to the resources you
need. But perhaps even more valuable are the frst-
person stories from 43 Things members—ordinary
people who have challenged themselves to dream big.
Throughout the book you’ll read inspiring accounts
from individuals who made their dreams come true,
whether by hiking the Grand Canyon,
becoming debt free, recording
their own songs, or swimming
in a bioluminescent bay. Hearing from
others who’ve completed some of the same goals that
you want to accomplish is a great way to get motivated.
You see that others can do it—and if they can do it, so
can you. Dream It. List It. Do It! is person-to-person,
do-it-yourself self-help for living a bigger and bolder life.
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