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    Home » Blog » Self Care

    200 Bucket List Ideas: Inspiration for Women Who Want to Embrace Life

    Published: Jun 19, 2017 · Modified: May 3, 2022 by Zina Harrington · Post may contain affiliate links

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    200 Life-List Ideas for Strong Women Who Want to Embrace Life *Love these bucket list suggestions and this Becoming UnBusy site!

    So this year I hit 40—your “fabulous 40s,” as some say. And they’re right, but only if we choose for these years to be fabulous…

    It seems this fateful day in a woman’s life commands at least a tinge of reverence. A moment of pause. You see, some people believe we have the choice to live “two lives” within our one lifetime—that we’re presented with a fork in the road during this 40-something transition period of our lives, when we have one seemingly simple choice: We can either start living by embracing what’s to come in “Act II” or we can make excuses for not participating in life the way we once did and thereby get started dying.

    Take a minute right now to stop and think about this pivotal choice…
    Think about your parents.
    Think about older friends and co-workers and relatives.
    How have they chosen to handle their Act II?

    Personally, I was shocked by how easily the people I know seemed to fall under one category or the other. I immediately smiled, thinking of my father, who started doing triathlons in his 50s. I also thought of my mentor, Patti, who decided to follow her dreams and travel abroad to New Zealand solo in her 60s. Then my heart sank as I thought of other people I care about who fall on the opposite side of the spectrum.

    We have to make the conscious choice to start living. So, let’s ROCK our Act II together!

    We have two lives: the one we learn with and the life we live after that. — Bernard Malmud *Love this quote and these life list ideas. Great suggestions.

    Okay… so what does that look like? Well, it’s different for every woman, but one way to “get started living” is to create a LIFE LIST to spur you into action from here on out.

    Bucket List Ideas Or LIFE Bucket List Inspiration?

    I strongly encourage you to focus on the JOY of LIVING while looking through the 200 Life List ideas below. Don't think of it necessarily as a “Bucket List” of things to do before you die. Instead look it as a LIFE Bucket List where you focus on living. It’s a subtle—but important—difference!

    The collection of ideas below is meant to be a starting point, so you don’t have to feel intimidated by staring at a blank sheet of paper as you create your list of things you want to try yet. (Getting started is always the hardest part of any task.)

    Simply pick and choose the ideas below that suit you and your interests best. Then disregard the rest. Hopefully, a few of these suggestions will inspire you to keep adding to your personalized Life List.

    200 Life-List Ideas for Women

    Stand Under a Waterfall
    Knit a Scarf
    Leave a 100% Tip for a Server
    Join a Book Club
    Ride on a Ferris Wheel
    Swim in the Ocean
    Find the Perfect Black Dress
    Visit Your Childhood Home
    Create a Family Tree
    Walk on a Black Sand Beach
    Make a Candle
    Wear Fake Eyelashes
    Jump into a Pool Fully Clothed
    Attend a Murder Mystery Dinner
    Ride in a Hot-Air Balloon
    Make a Kiva.com Loan
    Get a Henna Tattoo
    Eat Fondue
    Watch the IMDB Top-50 Movies
    Go Whale-Watching
    Have No Credit Card Debt
    Watch the Sunrise and the Sunset in One Day

    There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day. They're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them. *Love this quote, these life list ideas and this Becoming UnBusy site. Great suggestions!

    See a Ballet
    Kiss in the Rain
    See a Coral Reef
    Make Mosaic Art
    Drive Route 66
    Swim with a School of Fish
    See a Broadway Musical
    Take Pictures in a Photo Booth
    Tour a Vineyard
    Attend a Poetry Reading
    Do a Boudoir Photo Shoot
    Learn a Line Dance
    See a Broadway Play
    Make Soap
    Go to a Drive-In Movie
    Take a Bikram Yoga Class
    Organize a Family Portrait
    See Times Square
    Design a Room You Love
    Take a Vacation Solo

    As you travel solo, it's inevitable that you will discover how capable you truly are... *Love this quote, these life list ideas and this Becoming UnBusy site. Great suggestions.

    Work on a Pottery Wheel
    Do a Random Act of Kindness
    Get a Professional Body Massage
    Do the Hula
    Start a Blog
    Have a Dinner Party
    Go a Week Without Makeup
    Develop a Passive Income Stream
    Sing a Karaoke Duet
    Create a Flower Arrangement
    Go on a Cruise
    See Niagara Falls
    Have Your Palm Read
    Hit the Town with Bright-Red Lips
    Go to a Book Signing
    Make a Tie-Dye Shirt
    Eat Southern BBQ in the South
    Take an Art Class

    Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. - Pablo Picasso *Love this quote, these life list ideas and this Becoming UnBusy website. Great suggestions.

    Go to the Movies by Yourself
    Put Change into Someone’s Expired Parking Meter
    Throw a Themed Party
    Watch All the Oscar-Winning Movies
    Send a Care Package to a Soldier
    Serve Food at a Soup Kitchen
    Attend a Black-Tie Gala
    Do a Cleanse
    Create a Piece of Art
    Travel Outside of Your Own Country
    Get a Foot Massage
    Dress in Super-Sexy Lingerie
    Duplicate an Outfit from a Magazine
    Reconnect with an Old Friend
    Ride a Zipline
    Participate in a 5K Race
    Get a Brazilian Wax
    Unplug for a Week
    Make Homemade Ice Cream
    Hike the Narrows at Zion National Park
    See the Northern Lights

    If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently. When you look into infinity, you realize there are more important things than what people do all day. — Calvin & Hobbes *Love this quote, these life list ideas and this Becoming UnBusy site.

    When you look into infinity, you realize there are more important things than what people do all day. — Calvin & Hobbes 

    Get Fitted for a Bra
    Spend the Day at a Resort Spa
    Take a Mud Bath
    Throw a Dart at a Map and Just Go
    Have 3 Months’ Worth of Bills in Savings
    Make Fresh Pasta
    Stay in a 5-Star Resort
    Take a Cooking Class
    Attend a Winemakers Dinner
    Get a Bikini Wax
    Learn Another Language
    Boil a Live Lobster
    Get a Complete Makeover
    Catch, Cook, and Eat a Fish All by Yourself
    Make Paper
    Go Canoeing
    Cook with Your Partner
    Start Fire Without Matches
    Eat Breakfast in Bed
    Sleep on Satin Sheets
    Go Wine-Tasting
    Host a Cookie Exchange
    Cook a Traditional Dish from a Different Culture
    Learn to Use Chopsticks
    Pay for the Coffee/Meal of the Person Behind You at the Drive-Thru
    Learn to Play an Instrument
    Make a Gingerbread House
    Cook Every Dish in One Cookbook
    Toss Pizza Dough in the Air
    Be a Tourist in Your Own Town
    Learn to Meditate

    I meditate so that my mind cannot complicate my life. - Sri Chinmoy *Love this quote, this life bucket list, and this becoming UnBusy site.

    Build a Sandcastle
    Complete a 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
    Do the Polar Bear Plunge
    Recreate a Childhood Recipe
    Finish a Crossword Puzzle
    Start an Herb Garden
    Learn the Heimlich Maneuver
    Own an Original Piece of Artwork
    Cook a Fancy Holiday Dinner
    Skinny-Dip
    Photobomb Someone
    Send a Message in a Bottle
    Stay at a Dude Ranch
    Stay Awake for 24 Hours
    Be an Organ Donor
    Build a House with Habitat for Humanity
    Do 24 Hours of Silence
    Participate in a Charity Walk
    Climb a Volcano
    Entertain Residents at a Nursing Home
    Help Someone with a Check on Their Life List
    Go for a Fish Pedicure
    Give Blood
    Plant a Tree
    Feed a Homeless Person
    Build a Rock Cairn

    Keep on rocking' in the free world. *Love this Neil Young quote, this life list and this Becoming UnBusy site. Great suggestions.

    Walk on a Glacier
    Read a Banned Book
    Learn Manual Photography
    Ride on a Train
    Read a Classic Novel
    Read a New York Times Best Seller
    Read a Trilogy
    Send Flowers to Yourself
    Spend a Day Helping at a Children’s Hospital
    Play a Game of Paintball
    Sail a Boat
    Roll in a Huge Pile of Leaves
    Skydive
    Spend a Week at a Silent Retreat
    Get a Spa Pedicure
    Stay at an All-Inclusive Resort
    Swim with Dolphins
    Walk a Suspension Bridge
    Go Whitewater Rafting
    Get a Makeup Lesson
    Sponsor a Child’s Wish through the Make-a-Wish Foundation
    Climb to the Top of a Tree
    Go to a Renaissance Festival
    Make a Snowman
    Milk a Cow
    Name a Star
    Relax in a Natural Hot Spring
    Ride in a Horse and Carriage
    Drive a Snowmobile
    Write a Letter to Your Future Self
    Hug a Redwood

    No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time. - John Steinbeck *Love this quote, these life list ideas and this Becoming UnBusy site.

    Do a Themed Run
    Drink Only Water for a Week
    Fly a Kite
    Go to a Yoga Retreat
    Learn the Sport of Curling
    Go on a Spontaneous Road Trip
    Lay on the Four Corners (4 States at Once)
    Play Badminton
    Snorkel
    Drive an ATV
    Take a Biking Trip
    Fly in a Helicopter
    Own Land
    Race a Go-Kart
    Ride in a Dune Buggy
    Toboggan
    Attend a Luau
    Climb a Lighthouse
    Go to an Aquarium
    Stay at a Bed and Breakfast
    Scuba-Dive
    Explore the Everglades
    Go to an Oxygen Bar
    Attend a Jazz Festival
    Sew Something You Can Wear
    Drive a Speedboat
    Watch a Caterpillar Turn into a Butterfly
    Walk the Las Vegas Strip
    Dye Your Hair a Crazy Color
    Attend a Unique Small-Town Festival
    Do the Half-Dome Ascent in Yosemite
    Take a Trip with Your Mom

    All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us. - Tolkein *Love this quote, these life list ideas and this Becoming UnBusy site.

    What would you add to this list? I’d love if you’d share your own ideas in the comments below to provide further inspiration for others.

    Now it’s time to get out some paper (and some fun colored pens or markers) and get busy listing! These ideas here just waiting for you to create your personalized Life List.

    Here’s to a beautiful Act II, my friends. Break a leg.

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    200 Life-List Ideas for Strong Women Who Want to Embrace Life *Love these bucket list suggestions and this Becoming UnBusy site!
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    Portrait of Becoming UnBusy founder, Zina Harrington

    Hi, I'm Zina.
    I believe overwhelm and busy get in the way of finding time for what really matters in life. I help women unclutter, make space, and design a simple and slow life. Let's de-crapify your world → Ready to reset?

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