What’s on Your Bucket List?

Sometimes, a movie introduces an idea or a phrase into everyday language: “Go ahead, make my day” and “May the Force be with you” are two classic examples. 

“Bucket list” is yet another, though it didn’t originate with the film by that name. As it is commonly known, a bucket list refers to the wish list of what we’d like to do before we leave this planet. 

Ask someone what’s on their bucket list, and they often mention exotic travel destinations, learning new things, collecting rare and beautiful items, daring adventures, and mending personal relationships. I have had my own list for years, though as I get older, I find that my goals change — and, well, sometimes, just daily living feels like enough. 

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But I recently had a glimpse into another perspective on this through the experience of one of my friends. 

Attending a personal goals workshop, my friend was instructed to make a list of 100 things she wanted to achieve or experience in life. She readily thought of the first dozen, and with further effort, she had a list of several more dozen. Though that was far from the 100 assigned, she felt content — until a colleague challenged her to keep going, to go deeper. Much to her surprise, some of the last ones she thought of turned out to be the most important to her. 

They had to be dug out of her subconscious as if they were gems being mined from deep in the Earth. 

Her story motivated me to update and expand my own bucket list. Like her, I found some items that had previously been suppressed. As I thought about what they had in common, I concluded that they had been blocked by doubt or a lack of clarity. 

I know that if I have doubt or fear about something, then I might find even greater pleasure and satisfaction in doing it. 

Perhaps that sounds like an oversimplification, but by confronting my fears I can accomplish more than I may realize — so long as it’s realistic. I know I’m not likely to overcome my fears of wild animals and learn to be a lion tamer! 

I can overcome doubt about meeting a physical challenge. I can achieve the intellectual challenge of learning a new language. I can buy the materials and pay for lessons for a new hobby. Goals that require time and commitment — if I have passion for them, if even thinking about them is exciting to me — are worth being moved toward the top of my bucket list. 

Lack of clarity is another obstacle. A vague goal such as “get healthy” is too intangible. Likewise, “be more patient” has no substance and isn’t measurable. What do they mean anyway? How would I know if I reach them? 

If I know what the goal will look like and feel like, then I can visualize it, imagine that I have already achieved it, and then take steps to make it happen. Baha’u’llah reminded us to be clear about what we are trying to do when he wrote: “At the outset of every endeavor, it is incumbent to look to the end of it.” 

To me, this means evaluating the items on my bucket list not so much in terms of their desirability, but by their likely outcome. Will they make me happier, more fulfilled, or help me become a better person? Will they result in an advantage to humanity as a whole, or elevate our condition? If the answer is yes, they get to stay on my list.

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Not all of my bucket list goals are personal, of course — some involve my family or friends. Do they know that I have a goal which includes them? Do they agree with it? Are they working toward it, too? Unity in action is called for in these instances. 

So long as we are alive, we aren’t ever done. Whether my bucket list has 100 items on it or 10, life is an ongoing process. One goal achieved may lead to another. Another goal, even if not achieved, can be the stimulus for re-examining my priorities and my ever-changing life. This keeps the bucket list current and motivating. 

Going back to my original list, the goals that I thought of first should not be overlooked just because they were so easy to think of. Many of them are just for fun — so why not do them? 

Come to think of it, I’m going to add to the top of my bucket list: Do something special every week, just for fun.