The Bucket List
Challenge
Your dreams don’t happen by chance. They happen by design. This is where you start building yours.
The first step in building momentum and creating real self-inspiration is to list out all the dreams you want to make reality.
There are no wrong answers — anything you think should be on your Bucket List is fair game.
What Is This
Your Life, On Purpose
Building your dream life is not going to happen by chance. The more intention and homework you do to build your Bucket List, the more fun it will be to check each box and make your dreams reality.
Legend James
Most people spend more time planning a vacation than they spend planning their life. The Bucket List Challenge is Isaac’s invitation to change that — starting today, with a blank page and no rules.
A Bucket List is not a wish list. It is a declaration of intent. When you write something down, you move it from a passing thought into a commitment. You give your brain a target. And once your brain has a target, it starts moving toward it — even when you aren’t consciously thinking about it.
James has lived this. From the streets of Baghdad to the halls of the Pentagon to the classrooms of Pepperdine and GWU — none of it happened accidentally. It happened because he kept asking himself: what do I want my life to look like? And then he wrote it down and went after it.
This page exists to help you do the same. Use the examples below as a starting point. Add your own. Be specific. Be bold. Be honest. Then — most importantly — start checking boxes.
Examples to Inspire You
18 Ideas to Get You Started
These are starting points, not limits. Your list will look different from everyone else’s — and that’s exactly the point.
01
Watching Sunsets
02
Learn a Musical Instrument
03
Learn a New Language
04
Volunteer
05
Travel — Be Specific
06
Books to Read
07
People to Meet
08
Dream Job
09
Dream Schools & Degrees
10
Anything Artistic
11
Enjoy Every Moment
12
Show People Love
13
Learn About Everything
14
Laugh Hysterically
15
Become President of the United States
16
Swim With Dolphins
17
Become a Parent
18
Become Financially Independent
Now It’s Your Turn
Start Writing
Your List
You’ve just read 18 examples. Some of them resonated. Some didn’t. That’s the point — your list is yours alone. Now open a notebook, a notes app, a napkin — whatever is in front of you — and start writing.
Don’t edit yourself. Don’t ask if it’s realistic. Don’t worry about what order things go in. Just write. The first draft of your Bucket List doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to exist.
Legend James started this way. One decision at a time. One item checked at a time. Two Iraq deployments, two master’s degrees, and a mission to inspire the world — all of it began with someone deciding to be intentional about the life they wanted to live.
