Lou Holtz and His Life List
Retired football coach Lou Holtz is famous for his many achievements, on and off the football field. He credits much of his success to a Life List he created at the age of 28.
Legendary Football Coach Lou Holtz

You've probably heard of Lou Holtz, the famous American football coach, sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker. In 1966 Lou was twenty-eight years old, and things were not going well for him. In fact, he was experiencing the most difficult period of his life:
- He had just been hired as an assistant coach to Marvin Bass at the University of South Carolina when, overnight, Bass resigned as head coach. As a result, Lou was suddenly unemployed.
- His wife, Beth, was eight months pregnant with the couple’s third child.
- Lou had spent virtually every penny he had in the bank to make a down payment on a house.
As you can guess, Lou was feeling pretty down. His wife got tired of watching him mope around the house, feeling sorry for himself, so she got him a copy of the book "The Magic of Thinking Big". One of the exercises which is recommended in the book is to write a list of all the things you want to be, do, and have in life. So, Lou decided to complete the exercise. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Read more about Lou Holtz's Life List below.
Lou Holtz on Wikipedia
The Magic of Thinking Big
The book that spurred Lou Holtz to write his life list was "The Magic of Thinking Big". The author of this book, David J. Schwartz, Ph.D., explains that people have a tendency to think small.
He adds that the biggest human weakness is self-deprecation; that is, selling oneself short. Dr. Schwartz advises that we all need to look for ways to enlarge our thinking.
Lou Holtz Writes His Life List
Lou sat down at his dining room table and began writing his list. He filled it with grandiose, seemingly improbable items. When he was done, he had a list 107 goals on it, including the following:
- Having dinner at The White House.
- Meeting the pope.
- Becoming head coach at Notre Dame.
- Making a hole-in-one.
- Being on The Tonight Show.
- Jumping out of an airplane.
Lou Holtz Inspirational Clips
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Lou Holtz Inspirational Clips |
"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals. "
- Lou Holtz
Go After Your Goals
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Do you have a Life List?
"Write down everything you hope to achieve in life, then make sure you do something every day to realize one of your dreams. You are going to encounter adversity but you will also ... take big, satisfying bites out of life."
- Lou Holtz
Lou Has Accomplished 95 of His 107 Goals
Lou Holtz explains that his life list covers all areas of his life, including work, adventures, spirituality, family, and so on. He believes that reaching for goals encourages an individual to be a participant in life, and he tells his children and the athletes he coaches to make sure that they're not just spectators.
Lou has gone on to achieve 95 of his 107 goals, to date. Not bad for a man who was unemployed at the age of 28, with two small children, a pregnant wife, and no money in the bank!
Ted Leonsis and His Life List
Another Famous Life List
Ted Leonsis and His Life ListLeonsis explains that being successful doesn't necessarily mean that you're happy. But if you're happy, you'll be successful. In order to be happy, he advises that you create a life list like his list of 101 things that he wants to achieve before he dies.
Ted Leonsis Talks About His Life List
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Q&A: Ted Leonsis, Former Vice Chairma... |
John Goddard Talks About His Life List
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John Goddard |
John Goddard and His Life List
Another Famous Life List
John Goddard and His Life ListAt the age of fifteen John overheard a family friend telling his parents how he regretted all of the things that he hadn't done in life. John made the decision right there and then to live a life of no regrets.
Sean Stephenson and His Life List
Another Famous Life List
Sean Stephenson and His Life ListSo far the items that he's crossed off his life list include meeting the Dalai Lama, becoming an author, and throwing out the first pitch at a major league baseball game.
Sean Stephenson Talks About His Life List
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SeanBucketList |
Creating a Bucket List
Ideas for Your Bucket List
Creating a Bucket ListQuestions to Help You Write Your Life List
Here are some questions to help you create your own life list:
1. What income level do I want to attain?
2. Where do I want to live (what part of the world, what state, what city)?
3. What type of house do I want to live in?
4. Where do I want to go on vacation?
5. What adventures do I want to go on (sky diving, scuba diving, mountain climbing)?
6. What kind of friends do I want to have?
7. What worthwhile causes do I want to champion?
8. What sports do I want to try?
9. What contributions do I want to make to make in my field?
10. What do I want to experience?
How to Live Your Best Life - The Essential Guide for Achieving and Creating Your Life List
"How To Live Your Best Life - The Essential Guide for Creating and Achieving Your Life List" is divided into 30 chapters(226-Page PDF). Each chapter is packed with helpful tools, proven strategies, and easy-to-apply techniques.
It contains 35 exercises which will engage both your left and right brain hemispheres. By completing these exercises you'll be designing, and then building, your ideal life blueprint!
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What's on your life list?