Safari in Africa. Build an orphanage. Meet a U. S. President.
Sure, I’d love to do those things. Give me the opportunity, and I’ll totally take ’em. But I wouldn’t pay full-price for them. I wouldn’t pay all the time and effort and opportunity cost for them.
See, this is what I think is the biggest, biggest deal when it comes to making a Do list that you actually do. You have to count the costs.
If I happen to be in Africa someday, maybe I’ll look into a safari. But I think I’d rather hang with the locals eating their food. Planning a whole trip to Africa dedicated to a safari just isn’t me.
If your list is going to work, you have to consider what it’s going to take to check each item off. You’ll never have all the specifics ahead of time, but you can get a decent estimate with a couple minutes of research and thought.
Sometimes, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Maybe your dream vacation will only cost $2,500, and you can save that in less than a year. Awesome.
Other times, though, your dreams will cost a lot more, not just in money but in time and effort, in sacrifice. For example, everyone includes the goal of learning a foreign language, but few include the “cost” of public speaking to learn the language.
So before adding anything to your list, ask yourself what you’ll have to give to get each item. What are the costs?
I don’t mean this to discourage you. Definitely not. You can still gun for the big stuff. Just make sure you’re willing to pay for it.
