The Too Hard to Do Bucket

What is hiding in your Too Hard to Do Bucket? Are there long forgotten dreams, plans, or fears stuffed in there? Find out how to tackle what is holding you back. In my last post I wrote about life lessons. Chances are many of the items in your bucket are also showing up as one of your life lessons.

The “Too Hard to Do” Bucket

A few nights ago I was listening to a recording of a seminar and during questions, one of the callers mentioned her “too hard to do” bucket. This was where she threw ideas and actions that she felt were “too hard to do” right now. I guess that rather stuck with me and I started wondering what I have thrown into that bucket. The list started to become quite long. Longer than I would like to admit!

I visualize my bucket as a nasty old smelly can that is sealed poorly and thrown down into a dark corner of my basement, well out of sight, and promptly forgotten about.

After all, I think all of us view ourselves as the type of person to not miss an opportunity or to face everything head on. No one has any fears, right? 🙂 I guess it is similar to the age old question of “What is holding you back?”

My Bucket

What showed up in my bucket? I will share a few things that are related to this website.

Doing some videos for the site.

Recording a new program.

Doing phone readings.

Getting a new professional photo taken.

You might be reading this and think, what’s the problem? Those things are easy! My response is that everyone has their own set of things that are just “too hard to do” at the moment. Easy for some, just not the right time for others. Will each of these things make me personally grow? I have no doubt.

How to Tackle the Bucket

I guess I like the “how do you eat an elephant?” analogy. One bite at a time. Things that you felt were too hard to do six months ago may be able to be completed now. Life in general has a way of helping us to take steps to get closer to our intended outcomes, whether we realize it or not.

If you look back on some of your items, have you made any progress toward them that you may not have consciously realized? If not, is now the time to start tackling one of the items? It doesn’t have to be all of them, just pick one. Is there something that doesn’t seem as scary or as hard to accomplish that you want to finish now?

What have you thrown into your bucket?

This post isn’t about making you feel bad for things you haven’t had enough guts to tackle. It is more about revisiting thoughts and ideas you have had from the past, acknowledging them and bringing them to light. It is meant as a little self searching and also to help you realize that you may have made more progress than you think.

So, what have you thrown into your “too hard to do” bucket? If you feel like sharing for a bit of personal accountability, I would love it if you left a comment below.

6 thoughts on “The Too Hard to Do Bucket”

  1. Phone readings are actually a lot less labor intensive than email readings, I’m finding. You can do it! 🙂

    As for the podcasts..yeah, I’m right there with ya. I have a journal full of “lists” – some of them are in the “hard to do bucket” and have been sitting there for FAR too long!

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  2. At this rate mine is so deep that I need a laddar to reach futher down lol.

    I guess most of mine is more internal just for me, then anything else. Like admitting stuff to myself that I would rather hide, same to others, there is alot about my life that unfortunately no one not even my family knows about.
    There have been somethings that were hard that I have finely admitted to it took 19 yrs of it being in that bucket. I dealt with it all on my own never talked about (being raped at 18 by my ex fiance, or hit by him) it, even with myself, I took it out of that bucket examined it and tossed it back in. What happened to me, the shame, all the emotions. To the point people thought me cold (though warm when need be) stand-offish, distant what ever you want to describe it.

    I admitted what happened, somewhat, the only person I didn’t tell is the one I was seeing and his wonderings were why was I hiding, and why wouldn’t I tell him.

    It wasn’t I didn’t trust him, I did and do with my life and my secrets but its not just something you can blurt out and say gee feel better now whew! He knows what I call the basic’s of it, who did it (no name), what happened (just that I was raped and hit) and that some of the repercussions from it (anixety, ptsd, etc) I think this is why were not really seeing each other anymore, I don’t know, and it’s hard.

    As I said I told some of it, but not all of it, and while I still take it out an examine it, maybe one day like this last time I will be able to hold it up to that light and say okay ready now.

    I don’t know if that is what you mean things like emotions and such as well, and going deep into the soul and finding and healing, admitting and relearning all that you tossed in the bucket, for me it is like instead of removing the emotions one by one to examine them, I popped them all out and put them back it but they stuck to me, and I am trying to get them back it, but it’s like God and the angels are saying it’s time to look at this now. Where as I am thinking, umm how about an extra 19 yrs… No? *sigh*

    I didn’t mention the rape for sympathy, I don’t need that, probably one reason I don’t say anything, that and the looks and questions (why didn’t you report it, etc) but rather to expand on what can go into that bucket that is hard to, and feel ready to deal with and trust.

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  3. I’m not sure there’s anything on the “too hard to do” list but there are a lot of things on the “inching toward it as I have time” list. I do want to go to some specific places in Europe someday, just places I’ve always had in my mind since I was a kid, and not sure I will ever make it – but maybe!

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  4. Hi Laura,
    I bought a farmhouse in 2008 that I had rehabbed.

    90% of it is complete except the kitchen which will be the biggest of any of the projects so far.

    I’m not too proud to admit that yes, it is in my too hard to do bucket at the moment.

    Reply
  5. “The Too Hard to Do Bucket” is very interesting topic. I like the way you explain it, it means a lot to me. me some times it’s hard for me to decide on where I’m going to start in choosing what is important. That’s my “bucket”.

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  6. Hi Laura,

    I’ve never heard of this list, but looking back I see I’ve thrown some big things in there over the years.

    Another bucket I threw things in is things I don’t do because of fear. So that would be my ‘I’m too scared’ bucket. When I find myself wanting to throw things in there now, I do the thing anyway.

    Reply

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