On first blush it sounds wrong.

A bucket list is for all those fun, momentous, inspirational and dream-worthy things that you want to do before you die.

But why shouldn’t you try to create the same drama and excitement for your career – whether in law or otherwise.

You do the maths.

You will spend a significant amount of your time at work, and are likely to find yourself working longer and longer over the course of this century.

As I have banged on about for the last few months, you have to enjoy what you do. If not, don’t do it.

Of late I have been steadily building my knowledge base, and I am starting to realise that some of my goals are likely to be quite long term. Some are essential, some necessary and others fall into the category of wishing. However, unlike my career in law, which, come the end, was incredibly stultifying, I feel inspired by the breadth of the challenge.

If you made room today to just think, could you see yourself creating a bucket list?

Even if this is a stretch, you need to set the career bar as high as possible. Don’t limit yourself because of your geography or current client base. Anything is possible if you ardently desire it. I have met many lawyers over the past 20 years who inspired me. Each one was passionate about his/her area of work, had a love the job and were always looking for the next challenge.

It easy to rest on your laurels. You will always come up with a reason why something can’t be done.

Those people that have made a difference don’t take no for answer.

Ignore the voice inside your head, which always seems to be talking you out of what you should do (see the War of Art by Steven Pressfield).

This list is personal to you. It may change over time, and should, indeed, be reviewed periodically.

What you are trying to do is to make it feel that the things on your list are just as important as those you would normally put on a bucket list. I know it is difficult to comapare one with the other but try.

Even if you don’t come up with 100 things – the normal length of a bucket list – force yourself to dream, dream Big. As I keep coming back to, we have to challenge ourselves to be the most of anything – and particularly in our careers.

Sunday is a special day but also one that is ideal for planning. This is not a riff on Getting Things Done or the Covey matrix but rather my challenge to you (and myself) is to start writing down those things that you really, really do want to achieve before you hang up your dictating machine. But more than just writing, doing.

Have a wonderful day.

~ Julian Summerhayes ~