People who spend money on experiences instead of things are much happier. Who knew? This was the title of an article I recall reading online a few months back. It is a sentiment that I completely echo, and a philosophy that is very much entwined in The Edison Project.
I am aware I have mentioned this numerous times of late, but the overall concept is simple. Create a list of 100 experiences that I wish to complete in my lifetime. Over a twelve month period, I try to complete as many of those experiences as possible. Once the year is out, I review the list of experiences and top it back up with 100 experiences for the following year. Those I do not complete are carried over.
Isn’t this called a bucket list? No, a bucket list is something you wish to achieve before you die. There is no time-frame besides death, and that is quite a morbid way to live. It is also a list typically composed of significant once in a life time experiences. What about those smaller experiences that you have always wanted to do, but never found the motivation to pursue?
This is where my concept is different. It is evolving and made up of a range of experiences that differ in difficulty. The goal is not to complete them all, but to push yourself to do more. I see it being an amalgamation of a bucket list and a New Year’s resolution.
So what does my Edison Project look like for 2016? Having completed 17 of 100 items in 2015, the list has been restocked with 100 items. However, there are only 16 new items rather than 17 on the 2016 list. This is because one of the items I completed will forever remain on the list. That is item #100 – Get someone else to start a list.
Among the new additions, I have taken one recommendation from a friend on Facebook. Item #99 – Be a vegetarian for one month. This is a challenge I do not think I would have come up with by myself, but it is one I am keen to face. I am always looking for new suggestions, so please get in touch if you have any.
Last of all, I am always interested to hear from others who have been influenced by this concept. Have you got a list of you own? What’s on it? If so, get in touch.
The full list can be found below:
- Make a song
- Study a language
- Past life regression
- Visit one of the home nations
- Learn to play a musical instrument
- Create and sell a piece of art
- Design and sell an item of clothing
- Join a gym and bulk up
- Visit one of the seven wonders of the world
- Visit a random city abroad and take a stranger for a meal
- Climb a mountain
- Take part in a running event
- Surf a wave
- Go scuba diving with sharks
- Watch a football match in the Nou Camp, Bernabeu,
San Siro, or Maracana - Experience Rio Carnival in Brazil
- Learn to dance
- Experience the Northern Lights
- Fly a plane
- See the cherry blossom in Japan
- Watch a sumo wrestling fight in Japan
- Ride the Trans-Siberian railway
- Couch surf
- Drive a supercar
- Learn to sail
- Get married*
- Have children
- Learn to stargaze
- Cook a meal for my mum
- Go on a safari
- Go fishing and catch a fish
- Sleep outside beneath the stars
- Eat in San Sebastian
- Go to Burning Man
- Go to a football World Cup
- See a Formula One Grand Prix race
- Have a photo with a Hollywood star
- Swim with dolphins
- Take part in a TV show
- Donate blood
- Go speed dating
- Stay in a bungalow in Bora Bora
- Visit every continent
- Experience Oktoberfest
- Experience a bull fight
- Go rock climbing
- Go to a ballet
- Go to an opera
- Play in a poker tournament
- Visit a vineyard in France
- Drink a cup of coffee in Milan
- Buy a tailored suit
- Try every restaurant in Brookmans Park
- Shave my hair off
- See the Pittsburgh Steelers live
- Watch a space shuttle/rocket launch
- Send a message in a bottle
- Spend a day saying yes
- Learn to make a signature cocktail
- Abseil down a tall building
- Cut down a tree with an axe
- Sleep in a tree
- See whales in the wild
- Sleep in a castle
- Build an igloo
- Visit a Buddhist monastery
- Visit five temples in Cambodia
- Start a fire on a beach
- Go horse riding
- Ride a rickshaw
- Visit Auswitz
- Stay in a ice hotel
- Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- See the Tour de France
- Learn a magic trick
- Fly to a random location in Europe and work my way home
- Visit at least one European capital city
- Learn to graffiti
- Take part in a flash mob
- Learn the national anthem and sing with pride at an international sporting event
- Learn to juggle four balls
- Create a tie-die piece of attire
- Visit Fussen
- Visit the Lake District
- Eat frogs legs
- Go paddle boarding
- Visit at least one national park
- Cook a full Sunday roast
- Be completely honest on social media for a whole day
- Attend an England international rugby game
- Try yoga
- Visit Buckingham Palace
- See a production at The Globe
- Visit a new castle in the UK
- Have a tarot card reading
- Reach out to an old friend
- Sleep in a lighthouse
- Watch speeches at Hyde Park Corner
- Be a vegetarian for one month
- Get someone else to start a list