Creating a Will Not Do List

We all have To Do Lists. Whether we keep them on paper or in the laptop or in our heads, we have a checklist of activities large and small that we want to accomplish. Some of these are mundane, like filling the gas tank or planning our lunches (can you tell it's morning for me?) Some are large life goals like getting that Spring Break trip planned or getting that cholesterol down.

Then there are those nebulous fantasy dreamy goals that we never seem to take action on but we claim, either publicly or privately, that we want to do. Examples include: writing a novel, losing some certain amount of weight, or taking an around the world cruise. Things we could all accomplish for sure, but we don't break it down into small easily achievable steps and so we never make any progress toward these goals.

We can talk about the details of setting and achieving goals at some other time. Right now, I want to clear my mind of stuff that I am certain that I will never do, nor do I particularly desire to do these things. Of course, the list is infinite in size, but I'll limit this to 5 things that commonly crops up on these lists.

I will never:

1) climb Everest (or any other mountain, except maybe Kilimanjaro): I consider this far too dangerous and expensive for the potential upside. Who do I share the experience with? "Yeah, that's great, Doug. Yeah. How cold was it? Yeah. Wow, I can't imagine. So, how about those Patriots?"

2) skydive: Certainly easy enough and affordable, but I just don't have the desire. Maybe it's my irrational fear of heights, but it has never really been one of those things that I feel like I have to do. (Go ahead and add base jumping, bungee jumping, tightrope walking, and trapeze work right here.)

3) try out for American Idol (or any reality show): I've never seen the aforementioned show and therefore I am left out of many pop culture conversations, but, really, I am not about to place myself at the mercy of producers of any reality show.

4) become the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company: I'm passed the age where devoting my life to a company is worth the millions in compensation.

5) ride a motorcycle for pleasure: it has never interested me. If I want the wind in my hair, I can put the top down. I like relaxing in a vehicle. Somehow a motorcycle doesn't seem like a fun way to travel. Notice I said "for pleasure" because if I had to escape the bad guys, then I would hop right on.

I feel good knowing that I won't have to plan or worry about doing any of these things.

Am I wrong about these things? Have I severely limited the thrill of living? Do you know why Kilimanjaro is still a possibility?