I believe one of the reasons we don’t make time for WOW! Moments is that we don’t know where to start. While it’s fine to wait for a WOW! to happen to us, it’s empowering to take the reins and decide what you’d like to do. I’m suggesting that you create a WOW! List.

While I didn’t call it a WOW! List back then, I started a list of things I’d like to do someday after reading my friend Laura Vanderkam’s List of 100 Dreams. Seeing other people’s lists can generate ideas that you can make your own. For example, Laura’s list includes “earn enough to support my family, well, on my own.” I put that on my list, too, and when David retired, I did just that.

The alter ego of the list of dreams is a bucket list. Identify those things you’d like to do before you die and then make a plan to do them. Bucket lists are often filled with adventurous activities, like skydiving or bull riding.

Another idea for finding WOW! Moments is to write your future obituary. What do you want to be known for? If an obit makes you feel uncomfortable, how about writing your future bio? The one that will be published in the jacket of your book or used when you’re introduced before giving a speech.

I also like to look closer into envy. Is there’s someone you admire and would aspire to become more like someday? Determine what it is about them that makes you say “WOW!”

Finally, pay attention to the things that make you curious. Take an afternoon to browse a bookstore or library. What sections do you visit first? Peruse the book titles and pay attention to patterns in topics or even authors. You can glean so much information that way.

Once you’ve gathered some inspiration and insights, start writing. Don’t judge your ideas, simply chronicle them. Have fun with this. WOW! is meant to be freeing. The more random and quirky they are, the better. I have twirling the baton and riding a Zamboni on mine (not simultaneously, in case you’re wondering)!

To get you started, here are some of the items on my WOW! List, some of which I’ve done. I’d love it if you share some of yours in the comments.

1. Publish a personal essay (I’ve done plenty of reported essays, but I’d like to write one from my personal experience)
2. Be a regular blogger
3. Be published in The New York Times
4. Take an improv class
5. Learn to twirl the baton (this is a work in progress)
6. Ride a Zamboni during an NHL game
7. Create a chic capsule wardrobe, including many thrift store finds (this is a work in progress, but I feel good about my closet)
8. Run a 5k
9. Go on an adventure, doing something unusual twice a month
10. See Keith Urban in concert
11. Do a Polar Plunge (I didn’t do an official Polar Plunge, but I did do a cold plunge at the retreat in Tucson)
12. Be an extra in a movie or TV show
13. Get a tattoo (I’ve gotten two!)
14. Take a river cruise in Europe
15. Bike through Tuscany
16. Take a cooking class in Italy
17. Visit museums in Paris 
18. Take a family vacation to Hawaii in house on the beach
19. Take a long train trip 
20. Spend the night in a Frank Lloyd Wright home SCHEDULED FOR JUNE!!