The Impossible List

Life
Written By Auva A

Me jumping out of a plane, a few days before my junior year of college

In the midst of lockdown in 2020, I created “Auva’s Life F$%#-it List”; basically a bucket list with a cooler name, filled with outrageously fun, exhilarating, and some straight up unachievable to-do’s (see: go to Antarctica and hug a penguin, ban shark finning, and… go to space, respectively). Just things that make you say “F it!! Let’s do it!!”.

Note: this is not including the years of bucket list entries I have on my iPhone’s notes app. Why don’t I just consolidate the two? Good question.

Staring at this pedantic and elusive list of 73 items, I realize that I’ve done 9 of them – with “jump out of a plane” and “watch an El Clasico match live” probably being the most blog-worthy ones I’ve crossed off. The problem with a bucket list (or… a f#$%-it list) is that it’s really not that actionable/practical. In writing it, I tend to get into a phase where I’m like “I’M UNSTOPPABLE! I CAN DO ANYTHING!!! I CAN SEE THE WORLD AND EXPERIENCE LIFE HOW IT’S MEANT TO BE EXPERIENCED!!” but fail to realize that my a$$ has not accrued a single vacation day yet. And suddenly, the lights go down, the curtains close and the dream is over. It’s just kind of left somewhere to collect dust. While I know that a bucket list is something that you’re meant to achieve bit by bit over the course of your entire life, who knows how long you’ve got left to live? So why not have a list you can act on daily? My mom knows better than anyone I am not the most patient person. If I want something, I want it immediately. Looking at my F-it list, my completion rate is sitting at a measly 12%. I must do better! I must achieve what I want to sooner!

El Clasico at Camp Nou, March 2023 (Hala Madrid para siempre)

Here, the “Impossible List” comes into play. If I’m being brutally honest, I need some wins in life right now. Dealing with mono has left me with the most debilitating and severe anxiety I’ve had in my entire life, and doing regular things like driving suddenly feel incredibly difficult. Not to mention the broken foot which has prevented me from doing many parts of my normal routine. I’m hoping that in scratching off items on this actionable, achievable list, I can feel some sense of accomplishment while living & working at home where life feels quite mundane. If you don’t know what an impossible list is, more info on it is linked here. Essentially, the only reason it’s impossible is because it’s always growing. You always have dreams to chase.

Another note: I prefer this explanation vs. the original version, just because the original is too similar to my already-created lists.

I’m viewing this list not as words on a page that I want to strike through, but rather as a set of guidelines to help me live my life in a more meaningful way. I will be constantly adding goals to this list or removing some I no longer find desirable, and of course, crossing them off. Check back every once in a while if you’re curious to see my progress. But for now, the dreams on here will be rather bite sized, and the personal goals being life philosophies and tenets I will bring into my daily life.

The Impossible List:

Tenets/Daily Practices:

  • Positivity

    • Affirmations

  • Breathwork and yoga

  • Self-love

  • Visualization + manifestation

  • Kindness

    • To myself, to others, to animals, to the planet, to my belongings

  • Be a master of meditation

Goals:

  • Get back into running, tennis, climbing post-mono/broken foot

  • READ A FREAKING BOOK

    • One book a week (long-shot)

  • Do a hike that scares me

    • Old rag again, this time without an injury

    • At a western NP

  • Write in journal more

  • Blog more!

  • Get rid of clothes/items I no longer need or want

    • If not 100% yes, it’s 100% no

  • Live sustainably

    • No stupid/short-term purchases

    • Consciously consume, and just don’t consume if not needed

  • Figure out wtf I wanna do in life

    • Which passions and goals do I want to focus on, and how

  • Stay away from gossip, even though it’s hard sometimes

Long-term screamers:

  • Run a marathon

    • Run the Barcelona marathon

  • Start a business focused on sustainability/environment

    • Be successful (obviously)

  • Yoga teacher certification

  • Give a talk at a huge important conference

  • So many more, but for now baby steps…

And with that, I invite you to create your own Impossible List. What have you always wanted to do?

Besos,

 
Auva A
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