Making a bucket list is not on everyone’s priority. It is more a grim reminder of that fact that you’d be dead one day rather than a list of things you’d want to do before that day is up. So again, should you be making that bucket list? Well, if I had a say, I’d give it a thumbs-up. I’d rather not die with regrets or not knowing what I really wanted to do! How often we find people in their sixties say, I wish I had done this when I was younger! So, don’t wait till your body gives up but the mind is not ready to do so!
Well, if you are ready to make your bucket list, here are five things to keep in mind-
Goals.
What are your goals? I don’t mean, the ‘buy a house’, ‘buy a car’, kind of goals. A bucket list should be a means to satisfy your soul. I like to call them ‘soul cravings’.
Does the idea of diving deep into the sea and discovering the marine flora and fauna excite you? Put ‘scuba diving’ on your list, then.
That’s merely an example. Delve into your mind and find out what it craves for? Put all those things, no matter how weird, and how impossible they look, on your list. It has to be ‘Your’ list, not someone else’s.
Break down your goals.
Your goals may look undoable at the moment, but when you break them down, they start sounding achievable. If scuba diving is your goal but you are terrified of water, break it down into achievable goals. Put down ‘Learn swimming’, ‘learn yogic breathing’, ‘save money for trip’ or rather, ‘save (specified amount) every month for 3 years from today’. Smaller goals will make the big picture achievable.
Work towards your goal.
Get working on your smaller goals. Get rid of your fear of water by taking swimming lessons, learn to breathe well by taking yoga classes. You get the drift, right? If traveling to Timbuktu is your goal and money is what you need, you need to plan your finances. Find out and plan how much do you need and how will you save for it.
Keep a timeframe.
A goal without a timeframe is pretty useless. ‘Let it happen when it happens’ is like waiting for circumstances to blame on when things don’t happen. So, keep a time frame in mind.
Go scuba diving in The Yongala, in Australia by October 2020.
The when, how, where, should be clear in your mind.
Keep it flexible.
Keep your mind flexible enough to keep adding new items to the list when your heart feels so and sometimes even strike off something if there’s a change of interest and you no longer desire what you wrote down. It’s your list, after all!
The exhilaration of being able to accomplish things that you crave for is unparalleled, isn’t it? Don’t just pass through life, have something amazing to look forward to and have a wonderful life!
So, do you have a bucket list? Would you like to share what’s on it?
I don't have a bucket list per se. Thing is, until last year I was a "let it happen when it happens" kind of a person. Yes, it does lead to some regret. I'm currently in the goal setting phase I think, but I'm yet to assign time frames.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear some of the goals on your list. Will you be sharing them in a series of 5?
My Bucket list is pretty long...and I'd like to dedicate a post to it one day, though not in this series. I feel so alive after I made my list, it's quite something to go about it one by one!
DeleteDo share! Would love to read it :)
DeleteFirst things first, I so loved your theme buddy and thanks for the timely reminder of the bucket list thing. It's high time I make it keeping your advice in mind.
ReplyDeleteYes! Goals are always important. They give you direction, they give a purpose! And bucket lists are always something I look forward to!
ReplyDeleteCheers
Yay! In most bucket lists I have seen, I haven't come across time frames. And that is a very valid point you have brought up! I wonder why people don't necessarily keep time frames to achieve goals on bucket lists. The only goals which have suitable time frames are the materialistic ones, like buying a car or a home. But shouldn't bungee jumping also have a time frame?
ReplyDeleteLoved these tips, dear!
This is wonderful. I used to do only the first step all these days. But I can see how these 5 tips can help in achieving the goals easily.
ReplyDeleteBrother
Great pointers, Shubhangi. I liked the idea of having goals with time frame. Because, a goal without a timeline is just a dream!
ReplyDeletePoint 2 is what I preach all the time. Break it down... All the goals... Only then it becomes achievable. Great thoughts for a B.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a bucket list in that way,but I'm constantly writing down lists. And yes, this is a good feeling when you accomplish the things of the list. And also when you accomplish the whole list. But it doesn't happen so often, because, as you wrote, sometimes I change my mind...
ReplyDeleteI've seen lists like "100 things in 1000 days", and things like that. I think that it is an interesting timeframe as well.
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Eva
Mail Adventures
#AtoZ Challenge Theme: Postcards
Letter B: Bank. Have you ever received a postcard featuring... a branch of a bank?
"A Bucket List" is grim. I prefer calling it, "My Dreams/Goals List". This sounds more cheerful but then if that's what you call it then it wouldn't work in with your prompt today. :) You made some good points on how to come up with a bucket list. I think many of the things I'd like to do require lots of money because the biggest thing I'd like to do is some traveling. Maybe, I need to start playing the lottery. lol Oh well, fun and interesting A2Z post! I invite you to stop by for more Art Sketching Through the Alphabet for today’s featured letter “B” (boys) and a side of Mewsic with Curious as a Cathy!
ReplyDeleteAfter a month and a half of not knowing if I'd have enough time to live, this spoke to me. I used to make plenty of plans and long-term goals, but I now live in the present moment. This isn't to say I don't have a bucket list. I'd still love to go see the Taj Mahal or swim with dolphins one day but I'm easier on myself. I do love the bucket list idea and how workable you've made it sound, Shubhangi :)
ReplyDelete*B for Beautiful: Shailaja/The Moving Quill*
I have got one on my blog. ( Here's my bucket list) It's only about those 10 things that are most challenging for me right now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with breaking them into smaller steps. That's exactly what I am currently doing. I would like to add though that instead of having a set timeframe for the more difficult-to-achieve goals in the list, it might be better to attach a timeframe to their broken-down units. That reduces the pressure, so you are less likely to give up. Plus, it also makes it more short-term, which means that you're forced to act upon it quickly.
Happy AtoZing!
Chicky @ www.mysteriouskaddu.com
Thanks for this. While I know the concept of the bucket list, the truth is I don't have one for various reasons. And a major part of it is probably in conceptualizing things this way... With a time frame and all.
ReplyDeleteThat time frame thingy works wonders! It was only on Dec 31st that I said, I will visit Krabi by Feb 28th. And yes, I was there on Feb 23 :) Loved this post.
ReplyDeleteThailand Travel Stories at Kohl Eyed Me
26 Indian Dishes at Something's Cooking
Great post, and I have mental bucket list for sure!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree that unless you have specific bucket list, achieving what you have set out for won't be easy. I have my lists but not specific. Money, time and life prevents me from working towards it but I also believe in the power of dreaming. :)
ReplyDeleteMy bucket list is never-ending! There is so much I want to do that when I get the opportunity I simply grab it and make the most of it. Loved your tip on breaking up the goals to get there.
ReplyDeleteI think one must start realizing these goals too....the pleasure of achieving one will prompt us to add more
ReplyDeleteLists rule my life, and a bucket list, definitely yes. So what if life is uncertain, I love my goals. I break them down into mini goals and this keeps me focused. Loved your post and presentation Shubhangi! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI've been so fortunate to have crossed #1 (to visit Greece) and #2 (to go back to my birthplace in Germany) off my bucket list in 2013. The rest is all gravy, now. ☺ I tend to live in the moment and don't plan ahead too much, so that was a huge accomplishment. Good idea to set a timeframe, but if it doesn't happen, the disappointment must be great.
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