Laura Sharp - The Birthday List

Copyright 2018 Laura Sharp and Oliver North The moral right of the author has been asserted. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of publication. Some details, however, are likely to change. We make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its contents.

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LE8 0RX Tel: 0116 279 2299 Email: books@troubador.co.uk Web: www.troubador.co.uk/matador Twitter: @matadorbooks ISBN 978 1789011 241 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd For everyone who has birthdays, this book is for you. Contents

A Birthday List is a list of things that you want to do before your next birthday. This book contains guidance and ideas to help you write your own Birthday List and get started on what may turn out to be the best year of your life so far. You can begin this at any time and there are no limits as to what you can put on your list.

The important thing is that its written by you, for you. The Birthday List is unique for three main reasons: You have a date to work to The deadline for completing all the things on your Birthday List is your next birthday, as opposed to before you die which, in most cases, is a rather unspecific timescale to work with! By having a clearly defined target date to help you focus, youll be less likely to fall into the trap of thinking, one day Ill do that but never actually getting around to it. Its relevant to you now On your next birthday, you can write a new list containing new things that you want to do within the next year of your life. This encourages you to focus on what its possible for you to achieve THIS YEAR. This is hugely beneficial as you will be able to take into account your current financial state and any commitments that need to be honoured whilst writing your Birthday List. Its for everything you want to do The Birthday List is designed for aspirations of any size, no matter how great or small.

It can allow you to keep focused on those bigger things that you want to do by breaking them down into smaller achievements. For example, attaining a black belt in Taekwondo may be something that you want to accomplish in your life, yet you may not be in a position to fulfil that goal this year. Instead, you can write things on your Birthday List that are realistic for this particular year, such as joining a Taekwondo club, learning a new pattern or moving up a belt. When this long-term goal becomes attainable (in this example, it will be the year that you are ready to take your black belt grading) you can then add this item to your Birthday List. In years to come, your Birthday Lists could become sentimental keepsakes for your loved ones that show how you lived your life. They can be passed down to your children to remember you by and give them an insight into you as a person.

Sharing your Birthday Lists will give your friends and family the opportunity to walk in your footsteps and experience some of the things that youve done. Your actions can inspire others to do things theyve always wanted to do or try something amazing that they wouldnt have, had it not been for you. Items on your Birthday List dont need to be monumental life-changing achievements. They can be small things, such as reading a book or throwing someone a surprise party. Both of these are valuable ways of spending your time if you take enjoyment from them. Its all about spending your time wisely, bringing positive energy into every experience and living the life you love.

Time spent happily is never wasted. It is all too easy to forget about things you want to do. Everyday life takes over and if youre not careful, another year will have flown by all too quickly. The Birthday List is a simple, effective way to help you achieve more and get the most out of your time. Your Birthday List can guide you to the achievement of your goals and act as a map to becoming a better version of yourself. When you know what you want out of life, youll be surprised how many opportunities present themselves.

This is the law of attraction at work. Open up your awareness to any suggestions, favourable circumstances, seemingly chance conversations and unexpected invitations that come your way. When your thoughts become your intentions they become a powerful attraction for the things that you seek. Keep your eyes open for blessings in disguise, they are everywhere. (Katy Appleton) So lets begin with some useful guidance in the construction of your Birthday List. Following this step-by-step guide will allow you the best chance of achieving your aims.

Its all about feeling a sense of accomplishment, becoming a more successful person and having a lot of fun along the way. Pick a list style There are no rules governing what your Birthday List should look like, so choose a style that works for you. The first thing you will need to decide is whether you are handwriting your list or typing it. Then you need to pick a layout. You can use bullet points, colour coordination, a spider diagram, or any format that suits you. Set the number of goals The number of items on your Birthday List may vary from year to year depending on your personal circumstances.

You have until your next birthday to accomplish as many things on your list as possible. You may feel that one objective per month is realistic or you might choose to match the number of items on your list to coincide with your current age (e.g. if you are 26 years old, compile a list of 26 things you want to do before you are 27). Maybe you can think of lots of things you want to do straight away, in which case dont hold back! It could prove beneficial to leave some space on your list so that you can keep adding to it throughout the year. Mix it up The lists contained within this book are full of ideas to help you write your own Birthday List. They have been broken down into the following eight chapters: Family, friends and people Health and well-being Food and drink Travel Improving your mind Cultivating interests Money and work life Just because you can Ideally, try to put at least one thing from each of the above categories on your list to keep it varied and interesting.