Of course, I don’t actually consider myself the Author of my life—I’m just a supporting character within a much greater Story. However, I do have some things I’d like to do before my pages on earth come to their conclusion. In order of categorical importance and respective difficulty, I intend to…

Forge a legacy of Love

• Have 10 grandkids

• Hold and bless 1+ great grandchild

• Help at least 100 people discover their life’s true purpose; ~25% complete

• Plant a church

• Help build a well for people who need clean water

• Build a house for a family in need

• Officiate a wedding

• Officiate a funeral

• Publish 10+ books; 10% complete

• Give $10M+ to causes I believe in

• Have something in Phoenix named after the Cottrells

Never stop learning new things

• Plant and keep a garden

• Make wine in a vineyard

• Learn how to cook with a chef in Italy or France

• Go fishing off the shores of Japan

• Speak another language (even if not fluently)

• Finish a triathlon

• Open (or at least work at) a whisky bar

• Help make a feature-length film

Embrace joy and adventure

• Become a regular somewhere I can order “The usual”

• Play with a family of otters

• Skydive

• Cage dive with sharks

• Golf seaside with friends in Scotland

• Own a Tesla

• Paraglide

• Live abroad

• Visit all 50 states; 62% complete

• Visit all 7 continents; 71% complete

• Visit 50+ countries; 44% complete

• Sail from one continent to another

• View the earth from space

Support Nicole’s bucket list

As much as I’m excited about my own bucket list, I’m just as excited to support Nicole’s bucket list. You’ll notice that hers may be more achievable than mine (i.e. there’s no 👨🏼‍🚀 space travel involved).

• Open a nonprofit for girls and women at risk

• Live in Paris for some period of time

• Climb Machu Picchu

• Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef

• Hike down and up the Grand Canyon

• Visit Norway

• Help a detective solve a murder case (this is my life)

• Own a dwarf cat

• Spend time with and pet an elephant

• Attend an opera in Vienna or another world-famous opera house

• Attend a New York Fashion Week runway show

I may or may not get around to every one of these bucket list items, of course, but at least I have something to aim for over time. Ultimately though, at the end of the day (and the end of my days), my life is not about me.