A bucket list is a list of all the goals someone wants to achieve or life experiences someone desire to experience before they die. If you don’t live your days by personal plans, chances are you spend most of your time caught up in a flurry of day-to-day activities. Ever felt that your days are passing you by without any concrete output to speak of?
Bucket lists can be a reminder of our own mortality. Death is typically something we would rather not think about. The reminder that our time is limited is actually one of the best gifts we can be given. It is one that can guide us to achieve what is most important to us before it is too late.
Take
out a pen and paper or open up a Word document on your computer to start your
bucket list. Write down what comes to your mind as you answer the questions
below:
·
What
if you were to die tomorrow? What would you wish you would have done?
·
What
would you do if you had unlimited time, money, and resources?
·
What
have you always wanted to do, but have not done yet?
·
Are
there any countries, places, or locations you want to visit?
·
What
are your biggest goals and dreams?
·
What
(or who) do you want to see in person?
·
What
achievements do you want to have?
·
What
experiences do you want to have?
·
What
activities or skills do you want to learn or try out?
·
What
are the most important things you can ever do?
·
What
would you like to do together with other people?
·
What
do you want to achieve in the different areas of social, love, family, career, finance,
health, or spiritual?
·
What
do you need to do to lead a life of the greatest meaning?
Bucket lists
can be a reminder of our own mortality, and death is typically something we
would rather not think about. But, the reminder that our time is limited is
actually one of the best gifts we can be given. It is one that can guide us to
achieve what is most important to us before it is too late. Whatever your
dreams are; there are benefits to turning them into a well-crafted bucket list. It can help with your version of a good life. A bucket list…
1.
Creates a
Legacy What stories do you want to tell to
your grandchildren? How would you like to be remembered? What example do you
want to set for future generations: one of a life full of passion, following
dreams and having meaningful adventure or one of regrets?
When you are following your passions and accomplishing goals
you will leave an inspiring legacy of your personal values for future
generations. Family, friends and even strangers will remember the best parts of
you and be inspired to follow in your footsteps.
2.
Creates Focus A bucket list will give you a sense of direction that allows
your mind to focus on the target, instead of getting sidetracked dawdling on
social media. It will help you determine your end goal and the steps that need
to be taken to get there: keeping your
eye on the prize.
Without clear goals it’s easy to get diverted, heading in
multiple directions and years later ending up in a place you really never
intended. Even with goals, if you cannot remain focused you will lose momentum,
which will lead to a loss of motivation and ultimately failure at achieving the
result you desire. But with your bucket list you will be able to continuously refer to it in order to
reenergize your focus.
3.
Gets You
Excited Many people’s sleepless nights are
the effects from having a mind filled with countless tasks for the next day.
What if what kept you up at night were thoughts of planning your dream
vacation? Then being awake would be because of excitement: a reason to get up
early in the morning and stay up late at night.
When you are stuck in the rut of day-to-day life, it can be
difficult to get excited about the day that lies ahead. A bucket list gives you a reason to spend that extra hour a day working,
putting meaning behind the extra effort because the additional money will be
why your dream will come true. It can create an excitement deep in your soul
and exposes the passion you thought you had lost many years ago.
4.
Makes You More
Interesting Think back to some of the most
intriguing people you have met at a dinner party or event. They were probably
ones who were following their passions, traveling the world, or overcame an
obstacle to achieve a goal.
With a bucket list you will have personal stories from
around the world and extraordinary things you have done to contribute to the
conversation. For me it’s much easier to join into a conversation when you have
a relatable experience.
5.
Motivates You Without motivation, your dream will be nothing more than
that; it is the necessary energy that pushes you to accomplish your goals. In
order to truly get motivated you need to know what you want, and writing a
bucket list will help to determine exactly what that is.
These goals will then be the root of your motivation. Also,
having any sort of list naturally inspires you to want to cross things off of
it, whether it is simply your weekly grocery-shopping list, daily to-dos or a
bucket list.
6.
Pushes the
Boundaries of Your Comfort Zone It has been said that life begins at the end of your comfort
zone,. Why are so many afraid of stepping outside of it? I will tell you why.
Being inside your comfort zone minimizes stress and risk, keeping you at a low
anxiety level. This makes it very easy to never push the boundaries, because
it’s comfortable inside the safety of your little your comfort zone.
If you stay inside of your boundaries you’ll be missing out
on the incredible benefits of taking a risk. It can lead to personal growth;
expanding your mindset, teaching you valuable lessons, increasing your
confidence and limiting regrets. Once you step out of normalcy, it can lead to
a snowball effect, where each consecutive time gets a little bit easier and
your comfort zone expands bigger and bigger.
You
know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their
souls got to the entrance to Heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their
answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. 'Have you found joy
in your life?' 'Has your life brought joy to others?' (Carter Chambers)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“10 Incredible Ways a Bucket List Can Improve Your
Life” by Annette
·
“Bucket List
Ideas: 101 Things to Do Before You Die” by Celestine Chua
·
This post was inspired
by the 2007 movie The Bucket List starring
Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson
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