Last month, I celebrated my 59th birthday. As I approach yet another milestone, I decided to do something a little fun and different in my 60th year. I put together a 60 before 60 list, and I’m sharing it here to keep myself accountable.
You won’t find anything as ambitious as climbing a mountain or running a marathon on my list. In fact, many of these are everyday things that I’d probably do anyway. But sometimes, in the busyness of life, we lose sight of little things that give us pleasure, and we forget to celebrate our accomplishments. My 60 before 60 list contains a generous helping of little things, with enough new challenges thrown in to keep things interesting.
Michelle’s 60 before 60 list
I’ve broken the list down into several categories and slotted things into the spot where they make the most sense. Here is the list:
Everyday life
- Watch a sunrise
- Make a snowman
- Watch a parade
- Do a neighbourhood Christmas lights walking tour
Food and drink
- Make a new soup recipe
- Pick berries
- Try a new food
- Try a new cocktail
- Eat a “99” (a soft serve ice cream cone with a Cadbury flake)
- Make a new vegetarian dish
- Go on a wine tour
Giving
- Volunteer
- Donate to 10 charities
- Do a charity event
Green living
- Buy an outfit at a thrift store
- Plant a tree
- Visit a microforest
- Try a new zero-waste DIY
- Watch an eco-documentary
Health and wellness
- Try reflexology
- Start a walking group
- Find a new YouTube fitness channel
- Attend a live fitness class
Home
- Plant a pollinator’s patch
- Furnish our new deck and patio
Learning
- Take an online course
- Complete another course in the Plain Language Certificate
- Complete Certified Professional Retirement Coach certification
- Sign up for a course at the community centre
- Learn sign language
- Take a creative class (cooking, art, writing…)
Leisure
- See a musical
- Go to a concert
- Read 30 books
- Hike 10 new trails
- Go to a museum
- Learn a new card game
- Plan my costume for Breakthru (Queen convention)
Life goals
- Update our retirement plan
- Pick a retirement date
Music
- Learn 3 songs on piano
- Perform at Breakthru’s Got Talent
- Perform at a live show
Personal and spiritual growth
- Do the Alpha course
- Guest on a podcast
Writing and blogging
- Write a poem
- Pen a short story
- Write a children’s story
Travel
- Visit my daughter Laura in BC
- Visit Vancouver Island
- Go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
- Dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean
- Visit my sister in England
- Sail on a boat
- Ride on a train
- Plan a trip
- Visit a new state
- See my friend Cher in Chicago
Career
- Publish an article in a professional journal
- Speak at a conference
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Tracking my progress
So there it is, Michelle’s 60 before 60 list. Wish me luck! To make it easy to track my progress, I’ve created a spreadsheet and printed a copy that I’ll tuck inside my journal.
I may not get all 60 done, but I’ll give it my best shot. I’ll figure out a way to share progress updates here on the blog, maybe as part of my Sunday Spark posts or my monthly goals update.
Have you ever made a similar list? What would be on your list of things to accomplish before your next birthday? Drop me a comment below and let me know.
I love your list and the categories you broke things into. You inspired me to make one too and I’m going to do this with my kids as a homeschool activity!
Thanks Nikki. I love that this post inspired you! Please keep me posted.
I love your list, and that they aren’t all ‘big’ things and are doable! I love reading bucket lists 😍
Thanks Caroline. It was fun putting the list together. Now we’ll see how many I can get done.
Yey come to the UK! And I can’t wait to read your children’s story xx
I will be in England in October. I’ve already written a poem so that’s one off the list. Just waiting for an idea for a children’s story to come to me.
Love this list, Michelle. The groupings that you have give such a good sense of your priorities and values. Looks like you are going to have a great (and busy) year ahead! <3 <3 <3
Thanks Wynne. Yes, I may have been a tad overambitious when I put the list together. I’ll give it my best shot, but there’s always 61. LOL
A brilliant list of things to do; I love how they cover a variety of themes/categories! I turn 45 at the end of the year so I might have to start thinking about this for a 50 before 50 — it’s such a fun idea!
Thank you, Molly! I might have had better chance of success if I’d started sooner than 59…but I’ll give it my best shot!
This is such a great list! I love how balanced it is with some things that sound a little bigger and more challenging and others that sound like an appreciation for the simple things in life 🙂
Thank you! I’ve made some good progress on the list during my vacation. Let’s see if I can keep up the momentum when I get back to work!
What a comprehensive list, Michelle! Love the diversity here and wish you all the best in meeting your goals. <3
Thanks Layla.
An amazing list Michelle, and I know you’ve accomplished so many things on it already! I’ve passed 60 already and honestly probably could not come up with such a comprehensive list to follow prior to 70. I’ll just be happy if I’m still healthy and moving by then 😉
Thanks Deb. It was hard to come up with a list of 60 things and some of them will be a stretch. We’ll see how the year unfolds.
Congratulations on another successful year, I’m a few years ahead of you and seem to be reminded by my body daily that I’m not getting any younger. Still, I’m determined to keep my mind and body active because I know that’s when I’m operating at top efficiency.
This is quite an extensive list of goals, Michelle. I’m also a goal-setter (though I tend to focus on a few big changes), so I can appreciate all that you hope to accomplish.
Thank you Pete! I agree that we need to keep our minds and bodies active as we get older. That’s what keeps us young.
I love your list! I’ve never attempted anything as comprehensive…but I’m tempted and impressed. I think the mix of categories on your list is a testament to who you are as a life-long learner, Michelle. Thanks for sharing! 😊
Thank you Vicki! We will see how many I get done. I’ve ticked quite a few off the list during our vacation this past week.
Yay! Go Michelle! 😉
Omg I love 60 before 60 and I’m totally stealing it!! Your list is awesome!!
Thanks LA. I have seen a lot of 30 before 30 lists on various blogs so I thought, “Why not 60 before 60?”
Brilliant!
It’s a very ambitious list Michelle, congratulations! Once I made a list of wishes. The teacher wanted us to write 120 wishes. He said that we would need time, as when you are a child your are plenty of wishes but during adulthood you have less and less. I completed maybe ten wishes in no time, then it took me three/four months to finish it. It’s a pity that when we grow up we start to have a few wishes. I think it’s related to the decrease of our imagination once we are adult. We become too rational. The teacher explained that it is linked to limitations imposed by social constraints and that we set to our freedom.
Thanks Cristiana! You make a good point about us not having as many wishes when we reach adulthood. It’s a shame. We do let ourselves be influenced by social norms and others who tell us we can’t. I think we all need to respond “I can!” and do the things we want to do.
That would be indeed the right approach Michelle!
Happy belated birthday 🎂🙂! Wishing you a joy filled year – thank you for being such a positive presence on WordPress.
Thank you! That is so kind of you to say. 💚
Well visioned! My favorite item may be “pick berries”… I look forward to reading how this next year unfolds!
Thanks Will. I missed blueberry picking season this year because we were away. Next year…