43 Things That Will Change Your Life (43things.com)

Member Name: malteser1987

Product:	43things.com
Date:	09/06/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Achieve goals and record it,easy supportive website

Disadvantages: You have to follow through to benefit from it

Can you really slim your lifelong dreams down to a list of 43? Maybe you just need to pull yourself together and stop putting off the easy stuff? Maybe you want to release the far-fetched and wild side of your imagination and 43 things might be the website for you.

Why join?

Well I'm there because I felt a bit misguided when I found it. I had just returned from summer camp and travelling in America. I had NO money, had taken up incredibly dull temping work in an office, had finished uni that year and to be honest - I panicked a bit. That horrible sensation of not knowing what comes next when you've been locked into the safety of continual education and have been unleashed with a degree and no opportunity to use it. So in this mindset, I stumbled across 43 things. Why did I join? Well I found some satisfaction setting myself goals and even more satisfaction when I actually achieved them!

The Website Itself

It's free to join up! It's a colourful, user-friendly site with basic functions and in a simple, obvious format. You sign up with the usual basic info, and then begin to simply type in the empty "What do you want to do with you life?" box and away you go! If your goal is phrased the same as someone elses, the goal will show how many others have also got that goal on their list, and you can read the success stories for those who have done it. You can also click other peoples goals and add them to your own list. You can blog each goal; for example I've set the goal of writing a poem for every month of the year so I do a monthly 'blog' with my poem in it. Once you're logged in to your account, you can access your list at the top of the user panel. Mine currently says "Your 34 things" dependant on how big your list is. If you complete a goal or give up on it, you can feedback on it - describe your experience, how long did it take you, what resources did you use, how did you feel and most importantly was it worth it! Another nice feature is you're allocated 5 'cheers' a day which you can distribute to other members to encourage them on or show them you like their goals.

I think with a website like this, you have to think carefully about your goals. I've got a mixture of short term, long term and more far fetched aspirations. I have anything from 'Stop Biting My Nails', 'Give Blood' 'to Kiss In The Rain', 'Become an Actress' and 'reach that £50 mark on DooYoo.com'! You have to be the kind of person who will buy into the idea of self-improvement. Writing it down doesn't mean you'll do it; some who join will be enthusiastic for a week and neglect it from then onwards. I'm using it as something to reflect on every now and again. It's always nice to return to it, tick something off and be able to write a speel about how great that feels. I recently got onto a PGCE course for September so this change of direction in my life helps me to achieve a number of goals which tie in to having achieved that single aim, and to be able to reflect on how far I've come and those small things I've achieved feels great. A nice, free feel-good fix!

Summary: A great site for those self-improvers out there