The Life List: Rediscovering the Dreams You Left Behind
I recently watched The Life List on Netflix. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a moving story about a mother who passes away but leaves behind an assignment for her daughter: to complete a life list she had written when she was only 13. On that list are things both big and small—from reading Moby Dick and learning to play the piano to finding true love.
Somehow, this movie hit me harder than I expected.
Not only because I’m incredibly close to my parents—and just the thought of losing them brings tears to my eyes—but because it made me reflect on something I hadn’t thought about in a long time:
Where did all the dreams I had as a child go?
When did I stop believing they were possible?
When did life become more about checking boxes on to-do lists than chasing after dreams from the heart?
This movie was a reminder—a wake-up call, really.
So today, I want to talk to you about your Life List. And maybe, just maybe, help you find your way back to it.
What is a Life List?
A Life List is different from a bucket list.
A bucket list often comes from a place of urgency, sometimes even desperation. It’s what you want to do before you die.
A Life List is about how you want to live.
It’s not just about skydiving or traveling the world—though it can be.
It’s about doing the things that make your heart beat faster. That bring you closer to who you truly are. That make you feel alive and aligned.
Maybe your Life List includes learning French (mine does). Maybe it’s moving to another city. Writing a book. Dancing under the stars. Starting your own business. Reconnecting with someone from your past. Or simply falling in love with life again.
The truth is, most of us had a Life List when we were younger—we just didn’t call it that.
We had dreams. Hopes. A sense of wonder.
But as we grew up, we started replacing those dreams with responsibilities. We got "realistic." We started living for weekends and vacations. And slowly, without realising it, we lost touch with the most magical parts of ourselves.
Why Your Life List Matters
A Life List reconnects you to your purpose.
It reminds you that your life is your own. That it’s not just about meeting expectations or climbing ladders or doing what looks good on paper.
It’s about living fully.
And here’s the truth: No one is going to hand you the life you want. You have to choose it. You have to fight for it. You have to remember what it even is.
A Life List gives you something to wake up for. Something to work toward. It brings meaning to the everyday.
And in the moments when life gets hard (because it will), it serves as a compass to come back to.
How to Reconnect With Your Life List
If you're feeling disconnected from your dreams, you’re not alone. Here’s how you can start to rebuild your Life List today:
Revisit Your Childhood Dreams
Ask yourself:
What did I love doing as a child?
What was I curious about before I was told who I should be?
Write down 10 things you used to dream about doing.
Notice What Lights You Up
Pay attention to the moments when you feel excited, alive, or deeply moved.
What were you doing?
Who were you with?
What did it involve?
Those are clues. Your Life List lives there.
Create Your Life List
Make a list of 25 things you want to do in this lifetime. Not things you "should" do. Things you want to do.
Include big dreams and small pleasures. There are no rules.
Schedule One Life List Activity This Month
Choose something from your list and make it happen.
It doesn’t have to be expensive or dramatic. It just has to be intentional.
Make It a Practice
Keep your Life List visible. Review it every month.
Add new things. Cross off what you’ve done.
Let it evolve with you.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
We often treat life like we have unlimited time.
But the truth is, none of us know how many days we have left.
So why not live like it matters?
Why not chase the dreams that make you feel like you again?
Why not create a life that you’re proud of—not someday, but now?
Your Life List isn’t about pressure.
It’s about permission.
Permission to want more.
Permission to feel more.
Permission to be more.
Your Life List Journal Prompt
Ask yourself:
If I could do anything and knew I wouldn’t fail, what would I do?
If I had one year left to live, how would I spend it?
What’s one thing I keep saying I want to do, but haven’t started?
Take five minutes today to write your answers.
You may be surprised at what comes up.
Final Thoughts
Watching The Life List reminded me of something deeply important:
Our time is finite.
But within that time, we get to write our own story.
You don’t have to wait until you have more money, more time, more clarity.
Start with what you have.
Start with where you are.
Start now.
Because your life isn’t a to-do list.
It’s a Life List.
And it’s waiting for you to remember what you came here to do.
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