Today on my vacation: I am on the island of Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas and doing something I haven’t done since my trip to Puerto Rico… snorkeling.  God help me.  I’m not the best swimmer so I will be relying heavily on the life vest to buoy me along.  I do have an underwater camera so there will be lots of fun pictures when I get back!

That being said, it’s time for my third guest post!  This one comes from Suz and her blog, 30 Before 30 List.  This list is so creative and I’m dying to make one.  Suz has accomplished almost every goal on her list (including my personal 5K favorite) and strives every day to be the best person she can be.  Check out her blog… I bet she inspires you too!

Hello lovely readers!  I’m Suz from 30 Before 30 List and I’m filling in for Marie while she is off drinking butterbeer and soaking up the sun in the Bahamas (so jealous!)
Anyway, my little blog was born back in 2008 and it was mainly a place to document my progress marking off items on my “30 things to do before 30” list.  At the time I was getting ready to turn 28 and I felt a little lost in life.  I thought the list would give me direction and the blog would hold me accountable.  They both did that and so much more for me over the last few years!
Last year when I turned 30 I wasn’t finished with everything on the list and I kind of felt like I had failed, but then I looked back on all that I had done and thought screw it, it’s my list, my rules and look at all you have done!  Here are some of the highlights:
#3- get a job I love:  The job I love kind of fell into my lap.  But it was quite a journey to get there.  I was not happy in my job back in 2008.  April 30, 2009 my company did a big round of layoffs and I was one of the casualties.  Even though I hated the job, it was devastating.  But it was the push I needed.  For the next year I worked for a local real estate team doing their marketing.  It was great except for the money.  I had taken a 35% pay cut and it was almost impossible to live off of and I learned no matter how much you like your job, you can’t love it when you are constantly worried about being able to pay your bills.  In April of last year a recruiter called and asked me if I would like to interview for a marketing position with a big technology company in the area and 5 days later I had the job!  I was nervous coming back to the cooperate world, but this job fits me perfectly.  No job is perfect, but having a job you love makes a huge difference in all areas of your life!  You can read more about why I love the job here: http://ncsuz.blogspot.com/2011/01/3-get-job-i-love.html
#7- run a 5K:  I ran my first 5K back in Dec. 2008.  I did not love my first 5K experience.  I’m slow and it was hard and I did not feel accomplished because I was comparing myself to everyone else.  I decided to try again last fall.  I used the Couch 2 5K app on my iPhone again and ran the very same race I had back in 2008.  My goal was to run the whole time with no walking breaks.  And I did it!  But you know what?  My time was slower than the first time I did it and I had taken quite a few walking breaks back then!  That was a let down.  So I trained again and ran another 5K in April.  Beat my time from the previous 5K but still didn’t beat the 2008 time.  So I ran another one a few weeks later.  I felt really good about that one but guess what!?  I still didn’t beat my 2008 time.  So I ran one more in May.  I finally beat my 2008 time by 20 seconds.  What makes this one of my favorite items on the list though despite these time frustrations is that I am still running.  I run 2-4 miles at least 3 times/week now.  I never thought that was possible and now it is a habit with a limitless amount of goals I can keep striving for.  I think my next will be a half marathon!
#19- travel abroad:  Last summer I went to Dubai on my very first trip overseas and it was amazing!  That trip also helped me mark 2 other things off my list as well and it was amazing.  If you want to read more about my Dubai adventures go here: http://ncsuz.blogspot.com/search/label/Dubai
I still have 7 things to mark off my list, but I am well on my way to marking them all off before my 31st birthday this August.  You can see my entire 30 Before 30 list and follow along with my adventures here:  http://ncsuz.blogspot.com/2008/07/welcome.html
If you have ever thought about making a bucket list, I highly recommend it!  I already have my 40 Before 40 list mapped out.  I think the time deadline is also a good thing because then you can’t put things off indefinitely.  Make your list a mix of easier things and bigger more complicated things.  And give yourself time.  Two years was not long enough for the things I had on my list.  Also make sure the things you put on your list aren’t vague.  Don’t put things like “Be better with money” or “exercise more”.  The items on your list need to be quantifiable and definite so that you know exactly when you complete them and can mark them off.

So, give me some more ideas for my next list!  What’s on your bucket list??