Have you ever taken a mental health day? I don’t mean just from work, I mean taken a true mental health day, gone to do something fun and left your “to do” list for another day?

A few weeks ago we realized that we’d be in Florida for the final shuttle launch. Neither of us had ever been to a space shuttle launch and we figured it would be our first and last opportunity so we took it. That’s not to say we shirked out responsibilities for the day, but rather that we decided that we’d regret not going if we stayed home. So we took off, had a great day, and recharged our batteries.

Our philosophy in life is to live without regrets. This means taking a proactive approach to life. I know I’m not going to wake up 20 years from now and say I wish I had gone to work instead of the shuttle launch. Have you ever wished you had made the extra effort to go somewhere to do something, instead of passing up the opportunity? Living a proactive life means not passing up those opportunities. My favorite quote is from the writer, Mark Twain.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Take a page out of Mark Twain’s book, every once in a while, when the opportunity presents itself to take time out and have fun. I’m not saying take a day to go to the movies or lounge around the house, I’m saying when that music festival you’ve always wanted to go to comes around next year, go. Take a day off of work if you need to, rearrange your schedule and go. You’ll never regret it. Living a proactive life means living your life in balance.

Will you regret taking a day of vacation to run with the bulls in Spain? Even if it means taking leave without pay? Probably not, just skip a few meals out when you come home. Will you regret that you didn’t jump on that opportunity for cheap holidays in Santa Ponsa that you saw online yesterday? Probably, especially when you’re at home watching TV wishing you were there.

To help us live our life more proactively, we put together a bucket list.  It’s an evolving list though, as we hear about new things we’re constantly adding to it, but honestly I think that’s half the fun.  I hope it keeps us focused on living a proactive life, especially now that we’re settling into something a bit more routine.

We’re putting together a calendar of world events. Interesting, fun, unique festivals, holidays, celebrations, events, and things to do from around the world. Check it out on the sidebar. Let us know what you want to see on the calendar, leave suggestions in the comments below and we’ll be happy to add events.  We’re going to constantly update the calendar, so check back often!