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When he was 25 years old, Sebastian Terry was awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call that changed not only his life, but also spurred a movement that has changed countless other lives as well.

That phone call informing him of the sudden death of his closest childhood friend at the age of 24 created in Terry a grief so profound that he looked for something – anything – that would help ease his pain. From that grief came a list of 100 Things Terry wanted to do before he died: the Ultimate Bucket List.

Terry realized that while his late friend had lived a life full of purpose and absent regret, he could not say the same of his own life. Within this list were 100 tasks and experiences – some deeply personal, some silly – that he decided were for him the building blocks of a purposeful existence. From marrying a stranger in Las Vegas (pics or it didn’t happen – and he showed the pics) to helping deliver a stranger’s baby, from crashing the red carpet at the Cannes festival to helping a stranger in a wheelchair realize HIS dream of completing a marathon, Terry found an incredible sense of empowerment in stepping out of his comfort zone.

And in so doing, he also created a movement driven by purpose, connection, expression, and agency. In giving voice to our dreams, he said, we make them real. But what is most important is remembering that we don’t have to wait.

Terry told the story of a friend who was told in his 20s during a routine doctor’s appointment that he was dying of Stage 4 cancer. The man immediately asked himself what he wanted to do with the rest of his life and decided to embark on a global shopping spree. Armed with a wallet full of newly acquired credit cards, he began a whirlwind tour of high-end shops in some of the world’s most expensive cities. The punchline? The man recovered, is still very much alive – and still very much in debt. And Terry said he regrets nothing.

“He’s the best dressed guy everywhere he goes,” he said.

Date

October 21, 2024

Category

ACEC NEWS / FALL CONFERENCE

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