While I’m not really the type to freak out about age, I am definitely the type to freak out about how fast time flies. Ringing in 2020 was a reality check that the last decade was filled with some of the best years and experiences of my life (hi college years, I miss you), and each year felt like it flew by quicker than the last. I turned 29 on Dec. 27th, 2019, so I’ve got less than a year to make the items on this bucket list happen.
I’m grateful to have done SO many things in my life already that typically would qualify as “bucket list worthy.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve never shied away from opportunities. Whether they were big (like studying abroad in Australia) or small (like last minute canceling an Orange Theory class to go to a hockey game), I’ve always been pretty much game for anything.
BUT, I’ve been 29 for over a month now, and have been working at this bucket list for weeks at this point. It’s honestly really hard to think of 30 things I REALLY want to do without some being “fluffy.” Ain’t nobody got time for fluff and random pointless goals, so I left this list at 25 with room for adding as the year goes on.
So while there may not be 30 actionable items on this bucket list (lol sorry, had to do it for the catchy title), I want to close out this era on a high note with some solid goals to start with and add to it as they come to me. I also put together a list of what I HAVE done in my 20’s to celebrate the many wins and fun things I’ve experienced.
I’m putting this bucket list out here not only to inspire you, but also to hold myself accountable and stop saying “someday” about what I truly want to do!
1. Get My Yoga Teacher Certification
This is something I’ve wanted to do for YEARS. I’ve always loved yoga and the mind/body connection. I’ve researched plenty of courses and studios, and I’m excited to report that I started my YTT (yoga teacher training) in January at The Body Electric Yoga Co. in St. Pete! I finish the course in May and can’t wait to see where the yoga journey takes me.
Status: In Progress
2. Take a Cooking Class
Okay so, if we’re being honest here, I wish this could read something more along the lines of “take a course at a culinary academy.” BUT that seems slightly unrealistic (yet on my life bucket list). Cooking has become one of my favorite hobbies over the last few years, and I like to think I’m pretty decent at it. But I would love to take a course or class to learn about the fundamentals/techniques at a more elevated level.
Status: Not Complete
3. Attend at Least 5 Creative/Marketing Events
I don’t know about you, but when I leave an event I’m always feeling EXTRA driven and inspired. I attended a few events last year (Social Media Day, Tampa Digital Summit, AMA Influencer Panel, etc.) and loved the energy these experiences gave me. I’ve always loved learning new things, so I plan to attend at least 5 events this year! So far, I’ve attended a networking event with the Tuesdays Together Tampa Bay chapter and had the best time!
Status: In Progress
4. Rebrand The Blog
This has been a LONG time coming, I’ve had this blog for over three years and it majorly needs a facelift in terms of branding and design. When I started this blog, I had no idea what I was doing. I think if I do a rebrand and it feels more fluid with what my focuses have turned into, I will put more effort into it. This isn’t so much a bucket list item as it is a goal, but nonetheless, it’s important to me to do it ASAP!
Status: Not Complete
5. Take a Trip to Miami
I’ve been to Miami like once (which is surprising) but I’ve been dying to go the restaurants and breweries in the up-and-coming artsy Wynwood area! I have family in Ft. Lauderdale, so I plan to make this a weekend trip.
Status: Not Complete
6. Reach 10k Followers on Instagram
Okay, before you go all “followers don’t matterrrr” on my ass, to me they do. In the last year, I’ve noticed some serious return on my Instagram/blogging efforts (AKA paid sponsorships) and the more followers you have, the better these gigs get. This extra income helps me to pay down credit cards and student loans faster than I ever could before, and for that, I thank you for following. And uh hellooo, I want that swipe up feature.
Status: Not Complete
7. Go on an International Trip
Up until last year when I went to Iceland and Germany, I hadn’t been on an international trip since senior year of college (if you can even count Cancun, Mexico lol). Last year’s trip opened my eyes to the fact that traveling internationally does NOT have to cost a ton, I mean I honestly spent less on Iceland than I’ve spent on going to a bachelorette party in the USA. I haven’t decided where 2020 will take me, but I am thinking either Switzerland, Ireland or Costa Rica.
Status: Not Complete
8. Go Indoor Rock Climbing
There’s an indoor rock climbing facility here in St. Pete and one in Tampa, and even though I’ve lived in the area, I still haven’t been! I’ve gone indoor rock climbing in Austin and loved it, so this is a must-do sometime this year!
Status: Not Complete
9. Take a Trip to St. Augustine
I’ve wanted to visit St. Augustine forever, and it’s absurd that I live only 3ish hours away and still haven’t been. I want to plan a weekend staycation in St. Augustine and get it on the books!
Status: Not Complete
10. Go to a Buffalo Bills Game
If you didn’t know, I’m from a small town south of Buffalo, NY where everyone lives and dies by the Buffalo Bills football team. They break our hearts almost every year, but we don’t stop loving them. I’ve been to a lot of Bills games, but I didn’t go to ANY last season. No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills, so it must be done. Those who cannot attend the games in person may log onto websites like UFABET แพลตฟอร์มคาสิโนชั้นนำ and place your bets.
Status: Not Complete
11. Launch a Marketing Website
I do a lot of marketing on the side here and there, but I know I would get way more jobs if I had a website dedicated to it! I just need to figure out the logistics, put my head down, and do the damn thing!
Status: Not Complete
12. Host a Public Yoga Class
Outdoor collaborative yoga classes are popping up everywhere (my personal favorite is yoga at breweries) so my goal is to plan/host/teach a yoga class at a public venue. To be honest, fingers crossed that it will even turn into a side hustle business.
Status: Not Complete
13. Go on a Ski Trip
This might be kind of cheating to put this on the bucket list since I already have a ski trip planned for early April (coming for ya, Winter Park, CO!) but it’s been a few years since I’ve been skiing and I’ve been dying to go! I grew up skiing and have been doing it since 4th grade. Like, I’m talking ski every week for a good 8-10 weeks type skiing, so it’s definitely one of my favorite activities.
Status: Not Complete, but planned for April
14. Start an Email Newsletter
I tried this when I first started the blog (man, I was so ambitious) but I had absolutely zero followers and zero blog subscribers. But reading emails from my favorite bloggers has become one of my favorite morning rituals, so I hope to have this newsletter do the same for my readers. I plan to make it informative, fun, and a quick read. If you’d like to subscribe, click here!
Status: In Progress
15. Go on a Clear Kayaking Tour
Clear kayaks are popping up everywhere in Tampa Bay, and I’m jumping on the bandwagon. I don’t take advantage of living near the water (and cool mangroves, manatees, etc.) enough, so this year I’m making it a priority to at least go kayaking once! There are a lot of different areas to go, but one of my favorites is Weeki Wachee Springs about an hour north of Tampa!
Status: Not Complete
16. Write 12 Blog Posts (One per month)
This doesn’t sound like a lot, but time slips away pretty quickly in the blogging world and I’ve neglected this baby for long enough. I want to post at LEAST once per month on the actual blog, so that means I need to prioritize my time and focus on all of the ideas I have! I’ve noticed I’ve been spending a lot of time watching TV after work and I’ve NEVER been a TV watcher, so I plan on cutting down on this to make time for the blog!
Status: In Progress (2 down!)
17. Meditate Every Night
This may sound like a crazy goal to you, but it’s something that I actually already do almost every night before bed as of the last few months. It helps me to fall asleep super fast, along with a few other tricks (writing a blog post on sleep necessities sooon!) I want to be more consistent with it, and try to do it at least every week night!
Status: In Progress
18. Try 5 New Breweries
This should be an easy one, and let’s be serious – I’ll probably get to way more than just 5. But there are tons of new breweries popping up all over the Tampa Bay Area (they don’t call us the brewery bay for nothin!) and I want to branch out and explore them!
Status: Not Complete
19. Make 3 “Day-Trips” to Neighboring Towns
One of the beautiful aspects of living in Tampa Bay is that there are so many unique little towns within a short drive. I want to check out Tarpon Springs (there’s a new distillery there and a few breweries, plus the sponge docks), Winter Park (I’ve found some really instagrammable spots here on IG), and Lakeland (doesn’t sound like much, but I MUST go to Born & Bread Bakehouse).
Status: Not Complete
20. Visit Bok Tower Gardens
I don’t feel like I take advantage of all the amazing attractions here in Florida, Bok Tower Gardens being one of them! It looks like a beautiful place to spend the day and recharge, so a day trip is necessary!
Status: Not Complete
21. Ride Horses in the Ocean
Yes, this exists. Yes, I need to do it. You can literally ride a horse in the ocean on the beach, why would I not want [need] to do this!!!???
Status: Not Complete
22. Go Snorkeling at Eggmont Key
I had a friend tell me about this like, literally the first month I lived in Tampa and I’ve wanted to do it ever since. Eggmont Key isn’t far from St. Pete at all, and they have a ton of different snorkeling excursions. This is just another one of those beautiful places that I don’t take advantage of living near.
Status: Not Complete
23. Get My Finances in Order
I’ll be honest, Econ is the only business class that I barely scraped by (thank god I didn’t have to take finance). I am NOT good at finances, and literally never have been. Now that I’m #adulting and there are bills to pay, credit cards to pay off, a 401k in the mix, etc. it’s time to take control of my finances. I’m currently reading I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi and it’s really helping me to get my shit in order. For a more detailed financial analysis, visit HowMuchA.net to convert hourly to annual salary.
Status: In Progress
24. Go to the Ringling Museum
Again, how many years have I lived in Florida and still not been to the Ringling?? Plus, there are some Sarasota breweries I need to cross off my list.
Status: Not Complete
25. Print Photos and Make an Album
The other day, I realized that I have a ton of photos from these last ten years, but very few of them printed. My mom ALWAYS had her camera with her while I was growing up, which inspired me to be the same way. The only difference is that I have tons of tangible photos from childhood, but none from the past decade. I want to put together an album with printed photos, so someday I can have them to look back on (without having to log into my icloud account or external hard drive).
Status: Not Complete
I’m going to leave it at 25 for now, and have some space for 5 more bucket list items as I think of them! But of course… it wouldn’t be fair to leave out all of the things I’ve done so far in life, or the things I want to do in the near future. Here’s a list to help inspire your own bucket list:
What I’ve Already Checked Off:
- Bungy Jumping (in New Zealand)
- Glamping (in Iceland)
- Scuba Diving (in the Great Barrier Reef)
- Swimming in the Blue Lagoon (Iceland)
- Horseback Riding (on the Black Sand Beach, Iceland)
- Snorkeling Between the Continental Divide (Iceland)
- Hiking a Glacier (once in NZ, once in Iceland)
- Attending a Music Festival (Austin City Limits x2, Tortuga Music Fest x4, South x Southwest x3)
- Go on a Cruise (x3, but probably never again)
- Lobstering in the FL Keys
- Scalloping in the Gulf
- Graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree (U of SC, Go Cocks!)
- Graduating with my Master’s Degree (U of Texas, Hook ‘Em!)
- Skiing out West (Vail, Breckenridge, Big Bear, and soon – Winter Park in April)
- Sailing in the Tasman Strait (NZ)
- Launching my blog
- Speaking on a Panel (AMA Influencer Marketing Panel in Tampa)
- Run a 5k (x4)
- Moved Across the Country (x3)
- Studied Abroad (Australia)
- Got my Boaters License (in like 6th grade)
- Swimming with Stingrays (Grand Cayman)
Here are a few things on my LIFE bucket list (too much to do in a year!)
- Swim in the Dead Sea
- Buy a House
- Go Skydiving
- Ski in Switzerland
- Take a course at a culinary school
- Make Pasta in Italy
- Start a Yoga Studio/Business/Take Blog Full-Time
- See the Northern Lights
- Sail in Croatia
- Swim with Dolphins
- Travel Greece
- Get my Health Coach License
- Kayak on Lake Louise in Banff, Canada
- Go on a Yoga Retreat
- Attend a Create & Cultivate Event
WHEW! That’s a lotta things to do in not a whole lotta time. I’d love to hear what’s on your bucket list, or if you’ve done any of these things yourself! Leave it in the comments below! Thank you for reading and being an inspiration to this blog.
xx
