When you’re happy, you can start a happiness virus through your social network, according to a Harvard and UC San Diego study.
So update your Twitter and Facebook status with good things and spread the love!
No conclusive info about when you’re down, although I know that’s as good a people repellant as B.O.
While I was sleeping, news came out that the Hershey Chocolate factory in Oakdale, CA - on the way to Yosemite - is closing. According to KCRA “The first products to cease production at the Oakdale plant will be Hershey’s kisses with almonds and Hershey’s syrup. Both product lines will be transferred to the Hershey’s plant in Pennsylvania. The Hershey’s miniatures now made in Oakdale will be made at a plant Hershey’s plans to build in Mexico.”
Why is this news?
Everything Changes. You have to seize opportunities you care about while they exist.
Hundreds of people have a goal to go to this Hershey factory. Now they can’t.
Today I read that the quaint apple-growing town of Julian, California lay in fire central. This is a place I’ve always wanted to go. At first I thought the town had been decimated by fire but then learned it merely had been evacuated. I’m moving it up higher on my list.
Of course you can’t do everything on your life list or know exactly what’s going to go away when you least expect it. The point of a life list though is to focus you on priorities.
10. Express yourself. Tell your loved ones you love them. (At least send a card or e-cards like this great ones from Jacquie Lawson).
9. See your idols. Track if your favorite performers have tours coming up - and book them.
8. Help. Get involved with causes you care about whether ongoing, one day, or as a virtuual volunteer. Help people or save something from extinction (see VolunteerMatch, Do Something, and Six Degrees)
7. Capture the moments. Photograph your favorite places.
6. Who are you? Research your family tree.
5. Feel good. Start exercising and eating well (do you want to lose your health?)
4. Save your heritage.Is development rampant? Get involved with heritage or architectural boards in your town or city.
3. Visit the top 10 places on your life list If they’re all exotic and out of reach, think of all the more accessible local places you want to go. The oldest restaurant in town? A nearby hike?
2.Vote! Keep the rights and freedoms that matter to you.
1. Create your legacy. What do you want to leave behind? Whatever it is, get started. After all, why not?
If you’re looking for an 11th thing, would you like to contribute to SuperViva? Your contribution will help us “stay.”
What’s on your “top 10 to do now” list?
The directory links to websites of coaches who have a proven track record of helping people define and achieve goals related to various areas of their life.
Most coaches offer telephone-based sessions (tele-classes) which these days makes geography irrelevant thanks to services like Skype. However due to cultural differences I’ve included the country where the coaches are based.
Some of the coaches listed are SuperViva affiliates, meaning we get a fee if you decide to use their service. Please make sure to interview the coaches and review their information before choosing a partner to help you transform your life and business.
* indicates I’ve met or worked with this coach.
* Susan Whipple is a professional life/leadership coach, group coach, facilitator, and public speaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I met her as a leader of a Barbara Sher Success Team (which is a great way to focus on and achieve one particular big goal). A member of the International Coach Federation, with Professional Coaching Certification and an M.A., Consciousness Studies, Susan is very qualified professionally and personally to help you achieve your goals.
See life goal-related articles on SuperViva by Susan Whipple
Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach has appeared several times on Oprah and The Today Show where she’s shared her message of a “passion-filled life” with millions of viewers. Now you can participate in one of Marcia’s powerful workshops and start your journey to the achievement your dreams. Click here for more information. You can also be trained as a Dream Coach!
* Energize Your Moment brings you personal development coaching from Katie Mattson, graduate of Coach University and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF). Her style of coaching is to help you define your ideal lifestyle and then work all of the other important details into your vision. Katie offers an ongoing series of teleclasses free for SuperViva members.
* Fearless Entrepreneur - Starla Sireno leads programs to help entrepreneurs conquer the fear, doubt and uncertainty that is holding them back. Her team can help you overcome obstacles, achieve success on your terms, and become a fearless entrepreneur. Start by signing up for the free, very useful e-book: Become a Fearless Entrepreneur: The 9 Secrets of Creating an Outrageously Successful Business.
Passion for Business is run by Karyn Greenstreet who is an internationally-known speaker, author, and self-employment expert who has taught business and personal development topics to over 250,000 people since 1994. You will find e-books and small business coaching classes on a variety of topics.
Life Coaching & Consulting with Chris Wesley Personal, Business and Executive Coaching and Consulting. Find the Focus, Energy and Courage to make Great Things Happen in Your Life and at Work. He’s been featured on the BBC.
More to come! Please add a comment with pointers toward other coaches with proven track records.
Being named SuperViva is a lot like going through life with a first name that’s kind of like names people are familiar with but not quite.
You always end up correcting “No it’s Sanford, not Stanford.” Especially after Sex and the City.
Even if people get SuperViva at first, Super Diva seems to often stick in their minds. Sometimes I think for ease I could have named the site SuperDiva. But that would almost be contrary to the point of a site that helps you live a full life. 
Diva has several meanings according to Wikipedia contributors:
The term was originally used to describe a woman of rare, outstanding talent….The term often is used with a negative connotation. This derives from the implication that a star who is a “diva” is arrogant, difficult to work with, high-maintenance, manipulative, fussy, high-strung, and/or demanding.
Granted there are very likely those who’ve made life lists whose main life goal is to aspire to diva-dom (diva-hood?). But if I were to personify SuperViva.com, it definitely does not aspire to be a diva! For one thing, many men use SuperViva and divas are usually women (or Ru Paul). For another, today the term diva usually does refer to high maintenance, untouchable stars. Living an authentic life, which a life list lets you achieve, has nothing to do with being a Super Diva. It has everything to do with living a GREAT LIFE (SUPER VIVA) whatever it may be. I picked Viva, based on feedback from friends and family, as according to Dictionary.com it means:
to live; [Italian and Spanish, (long) live, both from Latin vīvat, third person sing. present subjunctive of vīvere, see gwei- in Indo-European roots.]
And my hope is such a name would have worldwide appeal. (Did you know the word “super” is used in the Croatian language?)
by Jill Smolinski
A life list—a list of things you hope to do before you die—can be a great tool for helping you get more out of each day. Here, some dos & don’ts:
DO put your life list in writing. Experts say the very act of writing down goals increases the chance you’ll achieve them.
DO aim for a good number of goals. Between 10 and 50 is typical. Too many, and you may feel overwhelmed—too few, uninspired.
DON’T include a goal because you think you “should.” Yes, many people dream of climbing mountains or visiting exotic locations, but if those types of things don’t appeal to you, they’ll only get in the way of what does.
DO include different types of goals: ambitious (write a novel, tour Europe, start a business), crazy (dance in your underwear, audition for American Idol), fun (go on a roadtrip, make a mud pie), self-improving (get organized, lose 10 pounds), skill-based (learn French, take a cooking lesson), world-changing (volunteer, buy a hybrid car), personal (get married, get a tattoo), risky (skydive, speak in front of at least 50 people), or even give yourself a quest (meet a celebrity, find the best taco stand in town).
DON’T worry if you can’t come up with a lot of ideas for your life list at first. Momentum is an amazing force. The more you do, the more you’ll want to do. You can add to it as you go.
DO involve other people. Together, you can brainstorm ideas and tackle any shared goals. Plus, with friends checking in on your progress, you’ll be less likely to lose steam.
DON’T be vague. If you say, “be a nicer person,” it’s hard to know when you can check it off your list—one grumpy day can throw the whole thing off. Try instead, “do a kind gesture for someone I love” or “go a week without yelling.”
DO be realistic. If your goals seem beyond your grasp, you’ll stop reaching. Sure, it’s great to dream big—after all, if no one envisioned the impossible, we wouldn’t have space travel or cures for diseases. But a list you can do is a list you will do.
DON’T etch your list in stone. That was fine for the Ten Commandments, but a life list will serve you better if it remains a work in progress. Some things are beyond our control. If you lose your hair, for example, “grow a Mohawk” will not only seem ridiculous, but maybe even depressing. It’s okay to drop goals when they’re no longer relevant to you.
DO consider giving yourself a deadline, at least for some of your items, i.e., one year to check off five things.
DON’T stress yourself out. A life list is supposed to be a catalyst, not a chore.
DO jump-start your life list with at least one task you can do immediately. Try a new food or restaurant. Cuddle puppies at a pet store. Call an old friend. Crossing off a task right away will put things in motion and give you the impetus to keep going.
And lastly, DO have fun with it.
Jill Smolinski is the author of the novel, The Next Thing on My List; visit her at jillsmolinski.com
