Bucket Lists. They used to just be referred to as "goals." A few years ago, I went through cancer and I created a short Bucket List of things that I wanted to accomplish in the near future. I've done all but one to this point. I guess my teenage daughter liked the concept and she created her own Bucket List...and as a dad, I have been trying to find ways to help her accomplish the things that are important enough to her for her to list. About a month ago, we crossed off the #2 item on her list (go to an 80's concert). I took her to see Journey when they came to our area - great show by the way! As of this past weekend, we have crossed off the #1 item on her list (to meet Dirk Nowitzki). Dirk plays basketball for the Dallas Mavericks and is in the top 10 in NBA history in scoring, and he's an all around great guy and role model.

I mentioned to my daughter that now she can dream even bigger and set new goals to achieve as we have completed the top items on her Bucket List. I need to do the same as most of my items are completed. I think we, as people in general, get to a point in our lives when we accomplish a few things - maybe even big things - and then we get stuck not knowing what to do next. I see many businesses who are the same way. We put our goals out there and day-in and day-out we work to accomplish those things. When we set the goal initially, we thought it was big and maybe unattainable - but slowly as we worked our way towards it, it started to be achievable! Then, it happens...we accomplished what we set out to do and it leaves us not knowing what we're supposed to do next.

I'm assuming that when McDonald's started, they had one burger joint and they wanted to just survive the first year or two. Excuse me if this is untrue because I am not a McDonald's historian. But like most businesses, we just want to make enough money to survive and continue to exist early on. Then we want to grow our market share. Maybe next we want to expand into new geographic regions. We set sales goals. And eventually, if you are one of the rare companies that pulls it off - you've become a massive global brand that everyone knows. But then what? What do you do next? What is the big dream that you set out there as your target to work towards?

The Bible says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

If that's true, and I believe that it is, we must always have a revised Bucket List, regardless of who we are, what we do, big or small, well-known or not. It gives us a target, a direction, and a purpose. In a poll that I read a few months ago, 78% of employees say that they would leave their current job if someone would offer them something else. That amazes me! 78% is a huge number of dissatisfied workers, and I have to believe that a good portion of them feel this way because they either lack direction or feel as though they serve no importance in the life of that company.

I have no idea what types of things my daughter will add to her Bucket List now. She's going to be a Junior in high school next year, so I'm sure I'll start to see things about colleges that she wants to attend, fields of study and degrees, but I'm certain I'll also see a few things on there that just put a smile on her face because they're fun and quirky. I think we need those too. A balanced Bucket List that holds personal, professional, and family/friend goals. I'll get started on my revisions today...will you?