By Melanie Hasty-Grant

Dream Big
Dream. Plan. Do: Three Steps to Bucket Lists that Work

With Spring just around the corner, you might be ready to shake off the cabin fever with a vacation, outdoor adventure, or home remodeling project. Activities like these are just a few of the many items that appear on my client’s bucket lists. A “bucket list” is simply a list of experiences or accomplishments you want to have or achieve in your lifetime.  If you are ready to start creating your own bucket list, here are three steps to get you started:

Dream: The first step is easy.  Set aside some time to identify what is important to you and what you want to spend your time and money doing. Perhaps taking an RV road trip to all the national parks or remodeling your dream home are high on your list. Whatever the case, the first step to making goals happen is getting clear on what they are. Once you’ve dreamed up your list, be sure to write it down. A study done at Dominican University found that the participants who wrote down their goals accomplished significantly more than those who did not write them down; so don’t skip this important step.

Plan: Regardless of how lofty your bucket list may seem, planning is all it takes to make even the lengthiest bucket list attainable. When you have the big picture identified, start creating a plan by breaking it down into smaller, actionable steps. Instead of focusing on the big picture of how much a bucket list item will cost, consider breaking it down, month by month and consistently set aside a certain amount each month. Small steps are the best way to create your desired result without the stress that can often accompanies big dreams.

Do: After you have identified your bucket list items and implemented your plan, now it’s time to take the leap and do them!  Take the time to celebrate your accomplishment of making your dreams happen. As you check items off your lists, it’s likely you will be inspired to add new items. The process is the same: Dream. Plan. Do.

We know that the process of making and doing your bucket list can be an overwhelming, especially when it comes to planning the money part.  That is why we created our signature bucket list program to help simplify the process. Once you have a vision for your life and the ideas and dreams you want to accomplish, we help you plan the financial part of “how to get there”. We design your money around your life so that you can do the things that are important to you. We know you can dream it, we will help you plan it so that you can go do it! Just be sure to send us pictures and postcards along the way.  Dream big, my friends! Give us a call at 918.272.1120 or go to www.waterstonewealth.com Securities offered through Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through CWM, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor.  Cetera Advisor Networks LLC is under separate ownership from any other named entity.