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Resolutions vs. 50 Things
It’s a New Year! Like millions of people around the world, you might have a few resolutions. I don’t know about you but my resolutions are often things that I am not super excited about doing. Why are they resolutions then? Usually because I feel like they are things I should do and not necessarily things I want to do. So what happens? They don’t get done.
50 Things are not resolutions. These are things that you want to do and often, they are things you never tried before. They can be as simple as a new food you want to try (crickets anyone?) or things that require more time and planning (like building a shed, hiking the Appalachian trail, or entering a poker tournament). They can be risky (skydiving) or seemingly low risk (singing in public). Whatever you come up with, your 50 Things are things you want to do and whether you plan for it or not, these 50 Things will likely change you in small and big ways.
For me, 50 Things are not bucket list items either. It might be different for you but for me, bucket list items are HUGE and don’t have a due date. I don’t have an official bucket list but if I did it would include some big, lengthy trips to far-away places and/or amazing experiences in those places and other things that aren’t relatively easy to accomplish within a year. I think adding a deadline to your 50 Things list is important so items don’t get lumped into a “someday” category. It’s too easy to push them off if you don’t make concrete plans to do them in the next 12 months.
A few ideas probably jumped into your head while reading this? What did you come up with? Share in the comments so others can add it to their lists if it interests them too!
Just a note on the above — I have eaten crickets (cricket tacos shown below), hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, and sang in public (once was definitely enough) but there is no way you would find me jumping out of a plane:)
Below, I am pasting 42 items from my original 2016 “50 Things list” as requested by my friend Isabel and will post the full list soon.
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The Original List
The original list I posted on Facebook is 2015 follows. I had asked for suggestions from others and was eventually able to come up with 50.
1. Attend an Opera at the Met
2. Attend the Ballet in NYC
3. Hot air balloon ride
4. Donate to 50 different organizations
5. Complete 50 Random Acts of Kindness
6. Take a Knife Skills Class
7. Learn how to make homemade pasta sauce/gravy
8. Complete a Bartending class
9. Mead tasting
10. Ice skate in Central Park
11. Walk 50 miles in one week
12. Complete 50 volunteer hours
13. Read or listen to 50 Books
14. Eat an insect meal
15. Glass blowing
16. Visit a synagogue
17. Eat 50 NEW foods
18. Take the Phila Mural tour
19. Sing in public
20. Cross country ski
21. Make cheese (not gouda)
22. Butcher a hog
23. Visit Chelsea art galleries
24. Take Dogs to a Barn Hunt
25. Go Fly Fishing
26. Make Bread from Scratch
27. Try beekeeping
28. Take 50 mile bike ride
29. Attend a Gospel Performance
30. Visit Niagra Falls
31. Attend SNL taping
32. Visit 3 new museums
33. Go to a Cherry Blossom Festival
34. Go berry picking
35. Visit Coney Island
36. Learn how to cut a mat and make a picture frame
37. Take 3 different food tours in 3 different cities
38. Reupholster something
39. Take a new type of art class
40. Attend a rally or protest
41. Remember 50 things in 15 min
42. Go underground in a Mine
43. Polar Plunge
44. Pet/Walk an Alpaca
45. Learn to play drums
