1-1-1: living a 'bucket list' life
read about how to turn your dreams into a reality, the importance of knowing yourself, and some actionable steps to make it all happen.
august, 2023
edition 29.
this edition is a fewww minutes late (but it’s tuesday which is better than last week!!!) because I got back from new york last night! so hi hello from my home in LA — it’s so nice to be back and have some semblance of a routine (for however short). it’s beautiful and sunny and not too hot or humid here and I’m just so grateful to call this place home.
even though I’m home, life is still hectic. the next two weeks are dedicated to packing up and moving across the world, aka playing tetris with everything I hold near and dear to my heart in two, maybe three, suitcases. I’m also hosting an old friend for a whirlwind 40-ish hours, meeting my flatmate in person for the first time, and generally wrapping up everything into a neat little bow.
as you can tell, my brain is scaaaaattered. I don’t particularly thrive in the chaos but I’m going to make sure I prioritize the things that make me feel good: nourishing food, daily movement, journaling, and spending time with my mom/the dogs.
okay okay enough about me, lets just get into it!
you can expect one email from me every week containing:
one quote that has been inspiring me
one journal prompt
one piece of advice*
* = if you want to submit a question for my upcoming emails, you can find the form here.
podcast
on hiatus until september — listen to past episodes here <3
one quote
“knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
—aristotle
one journal prompt
what haven’t you given yourself permission to feel recently?
one piece of advice
“talk more about dreams”
this question made me giggle because it’s just so straight forward and to the point. well, your wish is my command!
I feel like this part of my life can be categorized as trying to understand myself. who am I without school in the way? what sets my soul on fire? who would I be if I was given the choice?
I don’t have a set answer to this four-word question so I’m going to spitball some ideas in the hopes that it inspires you to think deeper about your own dreams and desires. to me, there are three kinds of dreams:
(1) childhood dreams (being a vet, a princess, an astronaut, the president, etc)
(2) societal dreams (parental expectations, appearance-based goals, high-ranking jobs, etc)
(3) ‘hidden’ dreams
the first two are pretty self explanatory — they also don’t necessarily tell you anything about who you are or who you are trying to be. the third one, named ‘hidden’ dreams for lack of a better phrase, refer to the goals and ideas you think may be “too big” or “too unattainable” for this lifetime. they’re the dreams of learning chess, learning to surf, climbing mount everest, running a marathon, visiting all 7 continents, writing a book, and the likes. the dreams that seem too futile or too hard to achieve in this moment so you continue to push it off to “the future.”
(it’s at this point where I’m really hoping the question is more about dreams as in goals and not dreams as in sleep/dreams)
something I’ve realised (or, two somethings) is this:
(1) the future is now. if not now, then when?
(2) your dreams are valid, and the combination of dreams you have are unique
let’s talk the first one — I’ve been saying that I want to learn how to play chess for years. YEARS. how am I still telling myself that I want to play chess? it’s probably because it’s not an actual dream; my priorities have changed. if I actually wanted to learn how to play chess, I would have taught myself between the years of 2008 and 2023. that’s okay, it’s just important to evaluate what you actually want in this lifetime and go after it unapologetically.
an actionable step: write out a bucket list of some of the most wild things you want to do or learn. come back to it each year and edit/modify if necessary. at the beginning of each year (or every 6 months, or whatever length of time is feasible to you), choose one thing off the list and either learn it or make time to travel/visit/etc. get it done. plus, some dreams are more suitable for your younger body! some dreams are okay to put off! it’s important to prioritize them so you won’t live with regrets.
now let’s talk the second one — something that was surprising (and kind of silly that it was surprising) to me was learning that my goals and dreams are different from everyone else. you may be thinking, well DUH! we’re all unique human beings and our desires are different. you’re right. but I never realised that not everyone wants to experience living off the grid in a cabin in the woods or climbing half dome or backpacking in alaska.
because I’m with myself all the time, I tend to forget that my uniqueness is extraordinary.
now that I’m actually typing this all up, I can’t believe I’m admitting to so many people that I was convinced that I was mundane for the longest time. imposter syndrome is real, people! if we don’t do something about our dreams (and collect the cool stories along the way), we won’t do anything. there’s nothing cooler than meeting someone with the drive to experience all this world has to offer.
reading updates
currently reading: beartown by fredrik backman, bullshit jobs: a theory by david graeber
finished this week: surprisingly… nothing?
if you want to keep up with my reading throughout the week, this is my goodreads :)
enjoyed this edition?
until we meet again,
katie
Love this. Brilliant as always 🫶