I’m not a bucket list sort of person. I am very fortunate to be able to afford most things I want to do, the problem is more in fitting it all in. I have zero desire to bungee jump, or leap from a plane, drive a Ferrari, or live at the Ritz. My desires are much more mundane. Travel to different places, visit with family, enjoy nice food and wine.
However, I was intrigued on Saturday, to read an article in The Times magazine, where a family sold everything, for about $25k and prepared to set off to travel the world. They had two young children, and now have a third. After about 8 years, they have now settled in Hawaii but still travel for extended periods.
So what?, I hear you say, that’s been done before. But the twist in the tale, was that just after they had sold everything, the husband sold an App to Instagram for $54m. Instead of using that money to upgrade their travels, they decided to continue as they planned, invest it, and effectively fund their travels using social media. (Needless to say the article in The Times was to advertise a forthcoming book.)
However the final paragraph of the article, for me, says it all. “We’re a regular family. We just happen to be having our family experiences in different destinations around the world.”
There are many people, now working as Digital Nomads, wherever their travels take them. It is not uncommon to see Instagram posts from all sorts of dreamy places. Have a laptop/phone, find an internet connection and you’re good to go! Even my semi-retired husband does this, and he’s now 75!. In fact it is one of the reasons we are able to do Slow Travel. Without the connectivity it would be impossible.
The transformation that has been made in how our lives since 2000 is unbelievable. I have only been a smartphone user for about 10 years, although I was wedded to my Blackberry for some years before that! The cost of a phone contract that satisfies my data needs costs about £6 a month. Wifi is provided as standard, in every rental when travelling. Your physical presence can be anywhere. So the question now becomes – who needs a Bucket List? Why are they still necessary, talked about etc.
A Bucket List is really a Dream List. It is very personal to the individual. Your Bucket List is totally different to someone else’s. The restrictions are generally – time, money, priorities, health, family responsibilities etc. The difference is that some people choose to prioritise the items on their Bucket List, ahead of any other considerations. Few people would do as the Gee family have done – put travel ahead of a stable base, but they prioritised Travel in their life. Others prioritise a big house or more money, ahead of anything else. The one thing that we should be prioritising, every single day, even though we can only partly control it, is Health. The blessing ‘Health, Wealth and Happiness’ is very true. Years ago, a friend was unemployed for a long period of time. He had the health and the time to do what he would love to do, but unfortunately he had zero money to do it. Other friends today, have the wealth, the time but not the health to do the items on their Bucket List. Equally if you’re not happy, then you are less likely to be interested in getting healthier, or improving your financial situation.
However, all is not lost! As my ‘friend on X‘, Dave Danna, says on all his channels, including his FB page and his Instagram. You’ll even find him on Youtube. He has demonstrated very clearly over the last 18 months, that it is recoverable! Just a couple of years ago, he was morbidly obese, depressed, he had failed his Masters exams, he was in debt, and was not in a good space. Just 18 months on, he has transformed his life, he has cleared a huge debt, lost 135lbs, finished his MBA, got married, and totally got his life back! As he often says, if I can do it – so can you! What an inspiration! Go Dave!
Photo posted by Dave himself on X (copyright Dave E Danna) on his progress!
While technology, including the internet, has transformed our ability to travel, shop, given us access to a myriad of information sources, it has also introduced some problems. Mental health issues, addictive behaviours, fake news, online trolling etc. Not to mention idly scrolling through stuff online, instead of doing something! Suddenly 2 hours vanishes, and you never get round to taking that walk or making that healthy recipe! How many of us do that?
So as 2024 moves towards spring in the northern hemisphere, we should all be looking at the core things that influence how we live our lives. Health, wealth & happiness. A bucket list will than take care of itself! Have fun, smile lots, as the sunflowers below suggest
I always love hearing your thoughts on retirement. You are a good reinforcer for what we already know, but tend to forget in our busy lives that happiness, family, health are the most important things. It’s hard to see sometimes in a crazy world.
For me, family is absolutely the key to a happy retirement. The next generation make their own choices, as we did in our day. Our choices are not theirs. Respect their decisions.
however, regardless, health is so very important, across the generations!