Stacy Taniguchi at Corona Arch
“He’s been chased by Masai warriors in Tanzania. Slept in snow caves to survive. Swum through New Zealand caves to see glowing worms. Stopped a bear from dragging his friend away in a sleeping bag…”
So begins an article about Stacy Taniguchi, BYU professor of experience design and management, in the Winter 2019 edition of BYU Magazine.
And those aren’t even among his most impressive accomplishments. He has also climbed the vertical face of Yosemite’s Half Dome, paddled the Nile, summited the tallest mountain on six continents (he didn’t bother with the seventh because it was too small), and coached cross-country skiers that participated in the last five Olympic Winter Games. The list could go on and on.
To what does Taniguchi give credit for his remarkable life? He says it all started when he was 16 years old and he saw a photo in Life magazine of a man holding up a list of the 100 things he wanted to do before he died. The photo was taken because the man had just completed the last item on his list.
The idea of a list resonated with Taniguchi and he sat down immediately and started his own. It took him a decade to complete his list – not to do everything on it, but just to decide on the 100 things he wanted to include. He has since accomplished everything on his original list and now speaks to groups across the country teaching them about the power of a “My 100 List.”
Taniguchi believes the reason a “My 100 List” is so powerful is because it forces you to identify your values. If you create a thoughtful list, and a plan to accomplish the things on it, life will not be an accident. You will begin to live life more intentionally and more fully.
He has a sister-in-law who once said to him, “I wish I could live a life like yours.” Taniguchi responded, “No you don’t. Because the things you want to do are different….And they are meaningful to you.”
And that is the point. Your list, and your life, won’t look anything like Taniguchi’s, and that is fine. It will be your list, and it will help you live the life you want to live.
Taniguchi has developed rules to help you create your own list. Some of my favorites are that you don’t have to do everything on your list, but that you can’t take anything off. If it is on your list it was important to you at one time, and might be again. Think about why you included it and what you can learn from it.
I also love that he encourages you to include things on your list that you have already accomplished. Thinking back on things you have accomplished that were meaningful to you is a great way to identify your values.
Before adding something to your list Taniguchi suggests you ask yourself two questions: “Will this make me a better person?” and “Will this help me uplift and have a positive effect on others?”
You will likely find that coming up with 100 meaningful things to include on your list won’t be easy, and it will probably take some time. It took Taniguchi a decade.
I started mine a couple of months ago. I now have fifty items on my list and about ten of them are things that I have already done.
Don’t rush. Be thoughtful. And allow yourself to dream. Developing your list is just as important as accomplishing items on it. And it is also a lot of fun.
The important thing is to identify what is important to you and then use your list to live a meaningful life. As Taniguchi states, “Your 100 list is your guiding light to thrive.”
Here is a link to a template to help you create your own “My 100 List.” You can either print it out and write your list by hand or fill in the pdf form.
Turn Your Budget in to a “List Farm”
There’s a million things more important than money, and they all cost money. – Jake Wood, military veteran and founder of Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization staffed by veterans
I love this quote. It is true that money is not the most important thing in life, but it is also true that many important things cost at least some money.
As I review my half-completed list it is obvious that many of the items will take significant resources to achieve. You are likely to discover the same thing.
So where can you get the resources you need to accomplish the items on your list? Your budget is the best place to start, and if you don’t have one yet now is the time to create one.
Budgets have an image problem. Many people consider them restrictive and think their purpose is to prevent you from having fun. When used correctly nothing could be further from the truth. A budget doesn’t tell you not to spend your money, it tells you spend it consciously on things you truly value.
I love an article I read recently on the YNAB website titled Welcome to the Wish Farm. It is about how to use a budget to save money for things on your “Wish List.”
I suggest one simple but powerful change. Instead of using your budget as a “Wish Farm” use it as a “List Farm”; use it to discover and help you grow the resources to accomplish things on your “My 100 List.”
Why is this change so important? I see a wish as something fleeting and flimsy. Your wishes might change frequently and they are really not that important.
Items on your “My 100 List,” on the other hand, should be things that are truly important to you and represent your life’s mission and purpose. Finding the resources to accomplish these things will give your life meaning.
In conclusion, your “My 100 List” will help you identify what is important to you and your budget will help you save the resources to bring your list to life. Separately each of these tools is important but together they become truly powerful. When used together these tools can help you not just survive or endure but to live your best life.
Action Items
- Download the “My 100 List” template and start creating your list. Don’t rush through the process. Take your time and identify things that are truly important to you. You might also want to read Taniguchi’s rules for creating a list.
- Pick two or three things on your list to start working on.
- Use your budget as a “List Farm” to help you grow the resources to bring your list to life.
- Refer to your list often and add to it over time.
- When you accomplish something on your list pick something new to start working on. Always be working on at least one item on your list.