Why you should make a life list

Transcript

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.

Voice 2

And I’m Bruce Gulland. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is
easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Michael Ogden remembers the last day he saw his grandfather. He writes,

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“My grandfather spent two hours sharing the important parts of his life, as he saw them.
He was a man who worked a lot. But to our surprise he only spent about two minutes
discussing his job. For most of that afternoon he spoke of people who had played an
important part in his life. He also spoke of particular moments that had brought him
some peace, a laugh, an understanding.

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Ogden’s grandfather told Ogden about both his successes and regrets. This made Ogden
think about his own life. What experiences did he want to explore before he died? He
made a list of all the things he wanted to do. Today’s Spotlight is on making life lists.

Voice 1

Ogden discovered that there was more he dreamed of doing in his life. For example, he
loved music. He had even written some songs. One of his dreams was to record the
music. So he decided to achieve this life goal and record his own album! He had a
wonderful time and said,

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“I knew that if I lived another five or 50 years, recording an album was an experience
that I would remember for the rest of my life.”

Voice 2

Many adults around the world ask the same questions Ogden did. What experiences do
they want to have before the end of their life? What things will they regret not doing?
What things are important to them? Some people want to travel. Some people want to
write a book or learn a new language. Some people want to spend more time with
family. One way to help achieve these goals is to write them down in a list.

Voice 1

Sometimes it takes something sad to make you think about life goals. This happened to
Caroline Miller. Miller’s father loved studying the travels of Odysseus, a well-known
character from ancient Greek stories. She writes on her blog,

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“My whole life I heard my intelligent father discuss his excitement for following
Odysseus’ travels around the Greek islands... I thought this would be the first thing my
father would do when his children went to college and started their adult lives.”

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But Miller’s father never travelled to the places Odysseus went. He died at the age of 69
from a terrible disease. On the night he died, Miller and her family sat in his hospital
room. They wondered why he never went after his dream. She writes,

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“As I looked at my father’s body, all I could ask myself helplessly was why he did not
do it. This thought made me sad.”

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This experience influenced Miller to become a performance and life coach. She wanted
to help other people set goals - and then help them achieve these goals. She encourages
people to create a life list. A person creates a life list by writing down all the things they
want to do. They keep it in a place where they can see it. This is so they do not forget
about their goals. A life list can also help people establish what is important to them. It
helps every-day goals lead to a larger goal. Miller tells NPR,

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“Making progress towards valued goals does several things. One is it makes you
happier. It also spills into other parts of your life, so you are more excited to achieve
other goals in your life.”

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Life list goals can be big, like finding a new job. One woman came to Miller because
she wanted to go to medical school. Her job was to manage money and other resources.
Her family thought her goal to go to medical school was not realistic. But Miller helped
the woman make the steps to achieve her dream. With the help of Miller, and hard
work, the woman went to medical school. She was able to complete this piece of her life
list.

Voice 1
Life list goals can also be small. The Irish Times tells about Máire Godfrey. She was 99
years old. Godfrey decided to make a life list of things to do before her 100th birthday.
She wanted to try things she had never done before. Her goals included visiting a
courtroom, seeing a 3D film, and eating at McDonald’s. She even started a Facebook
page where she shared her achievements.

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There are many books to help a person decide what should be on their own life list.
These books offer ideas like the best places to see or the best foods to try. And there are
films about people trying to achieve their life goals. Many people are choosing to share
their life lists on the internet too. Some people put their lists on their own website, like
Caroline Miller does. And other people join internet communities to share their life lists.
Anyone can join these communities. And usually they do not cost any money.

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One of these communities is bucketlist.org. “Bucket list” is another name for “life list”.
On this website, people can create their life list and share it with other people. They can
show pictures of the goals they achieve. They can encourage each other to reach
particular goals.

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Creating a life list has become a popular idea. And it is easy to do. First, you need a
place to write down your list. You can use a piece of paper and a pen or a computer or
phone. Second, write down as many things you want to achieve as possible. Third,
choose the most important goals. When you finish your list, keep it in a place where you
will see it often. You can also share your list with friends and family, or on the internet.

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Not everyone enjoys making a list. Some people like to live life as it comes. They enjoy
experiences that happen by chance. But for many others, creating a life list can be fun
and helpful. It can help you understand more about yourself and your dreams.

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What about you? Do you think creating a life list is a good idea? What kinds of things
would be on your life list? Tell us what you think. Or email us at
radio@radioenglish.net. You can also find us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/spotlightradio.

Voice 1

The writers of today’s program were Courtney Schutt and Hannah Koning. The
producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the
United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight.
You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at
www.radioenglish.net. This program is called “Why You Should Make a Life List”.
Voice 2

Visit our website to download our free official app for Android and Apple devices. We
hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

Question:
Do you have a list of goals you want to achieve? How do you keep these goals?