Originally posted on 30 January 2017.
The Nike List has become a new way of thinking for me, and is helping with my ever existing desires to procrastinate prioritise things. It is funny how an exciting project can get you fired up. This particular project-trying-to-turn-lifestyle has come to me at a time when I’ve really needed it. It was heaven sent.
It has now been about two years of trying to grow our family, but so far it’s only been met with disappointment, frustration and heart ache. After facing another miscarriage a month ago, I spent some time trying to figure out what I needed to do with my life. I was sick of feeling sad. All. The. Time.
After some pondering I came to a few conclusions:
I was beginning to feel like life was just a thing that happened to me.
Josh and I needed to stop letting life get in the way of everything we wanted to do and kept saying that we would do.
I didn’t want to spend this time ‘waiting’ for kids to come. I wanted to not only live life, but love it.
I was reminded of something heard from a friend. A life long goal of ‘falling in love with life.’ I realised it was time to take responsibility for my own happiness, and why would I wait? The whole concept of ‘just do it’ resonated with me, so with a few thoughts and a desire to create happiness, The Nike List was born.
It is still an evolving concept to me, and so I’m continually deciding what it is. I do know this much. It is NOT a bucket list. You don’t write down a bunch of things you want to do before you’re 30, or dead. The Nike list is always getting smaller and bigger at the same time. Your happiness is a living thing, and so is The Nike List. These are things, both big and small, that you want to do to create happiness – for yourself and others. This isn’t a selfish initiative. It is about investing in yourself and loving life instead of just living it. So often in life we put off things for whatever reason… the timing isn’t right, funds are low, Monday is two days away, we’re too lazy, too busy, too scared. The Nike List is about putting aside all those reasons, and doing the things that will create happiness, and doing them now!
If you want to get on board, here is all you need to do:
Grab something to make your list (I went old school with pen and paper)
Start listing those things you want to do, but keep putting off. They can be big like a trip away, or as little as going to that cafe you’ve been meaning to try. (One of mine is getting my teaching paperwork in – little, but I keep putting it off, and man I’ll be happy when it’s all finished)
Grab your calendar and start ACTUALLY planning things. I’ve found that the things I’ve wanted to do have been pushed aside because other things have ‘come up’. The idea is that if you make your Nike list plans first, then other things that come up (and they always will) have to be worked around.
When it comes to money-attached-booking things, if you have the money now, book them NOW.
Once your list is all done, #justdoit!
If you’re a big social media poster, consider documenting some of your Nike list completions. It might work as incentive.
Keep coming back to your list and checking things off and reminding yourself what’s on there (I check mine every week or two)
Something important to remember is that happiness is subjective. What creates happiness for you will be different to someone else. So take courage and be proud of your list. If you do what creates happiness for you and you do it now, you can’t go wrong.
