On their deathbed, no one has ever said, “I wish I had earned more money,” or “I wish I had cleaned more.” Instead, they might be heard to say, “I wish I had taken that trip to China,” or “I wish I had finished that novel I started.”
These were probably things they might have had on their bucket lists if they had them.
We all should all fill our buckets – fill them with all the things we want to do, things we’d like to try, and the experiences we would like to have before we die.
If you don’t have a bucket list, it’s time to start. If you do have one, it’s time to review and revise.
Why Should We Have Bucket Lists?
It’s so easy to get stuck in our daily routines. We get up, go to work, come home, eat, watch TV, help kids with homework, etc. On our days off, we have lists of all that we need to get done. And maybe once a year, we take a vacation to unwind and have some fun.
And so it goes, year after year. And all of a sudden, we are old and saying to ourselves, “Is this all there is?”
But if we have a bucket list, maybe we stop and look at it and decide to pursue something on it.
Bucket lists also serve as reminders that life is moving on, and it is not as full as it should be.
Bucket lists allow us to dream and imagine.
Items on Your Bucket List
When most people think of a bucket list, they think of large, long-term type goals that are future-orientated – a cruise around the world, retiring by age 55 with a million bucks, etc. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Bucket lists can include anything you want to do. They might include such things as:
- Parasailing
- Learning a foreign language
- Going back to school
- Swimming with the dolphins
- Be in a parade
- Attend a drag show and meet transgenders
- Find a job you love
- Reach your goal weight
You see? Some things on your bucket list are things you can do in the very short term. And, other than going back to school, there aren’t really any long-term expenses involved.
So, what’s stopping you from going after some of these things right now?
Here’s where creating a bucket list comes in. And here’s how to do just that.
Creating Your Bucket List(s)
The “s” has been added because you should be creating more than one – or at least separating your list into categories.
How to develop categories? There are a bunch of ways to do this, but one that works for most people is as follows:
Fun Things
There must be a number of things you have always thought would be fun to do. Some of them are listed above. Put into this category all of those things that would be fun. Don’t consider cost, logistics, or anything else. Just put everything on there that you think would be fun. Don’t place any limitations on these items. This is the time for what many call “dreamstorming” as opposed to brainstorming. The time for prioritizing can come later.
Career/Financial-Related
The same goes for those goals and dreams that are related to your job/career or your finances. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it look like? No matter how far-fetched, put it on your list. Want your own business? Put it down.
The same goes for your financial goals. Want to be a millionaire by 50? It goes on the list. This is not the time to think about how you get there, just that you want to.
The Unique/Outreach Related
This is sort of a “catch-all” category, and it can be a bit more serious.
The Outreach
Is there a cause you have always been passionate about that you want to support in some way? Have you always wanted to find the time to volunteer your skills and talents to others? Do you want to “go green?”
The Unique
Have you always wanted to learn to play an instrument? Or try acupuncture? Or go vegan for a month? Or take a painting class or take up karate? Everything you think about in your dreamstorming that would be different from your normal life needs to go into this list.
Now What?
Prioritize. Take each category and prioritize in the order of importance to you. Or you can prioritize in the order of time or financial cost – what you can do right now, in the short term, and what will have to wait a while.
If you don’t prioritize, your bucket lists will just languish and nothing will get done. Pick the top three in each category.
Get a Partner
Share your list with your wife/life partner or your best friend. Enlist them to keep you on point as you pursue the items on your list. Your partner may be someone who will actually do those things with you and share expenses. Or it may be someone who simply holds you accountable to complete those items you have prioritized. Just having someone else in your corner to support and encourage you is huge.
Your Bucket List is a Living Document
Our lives are changed by circumstances and our own personal growth. And your bucket list should reflect those changes. What was a top priority last year may not be now. Add, delete, and revise things in your bucket at will – it’s your property after all.