Why Your Life Starts Only After Your Bucket List

What is a bucket list?

A bucket list is a list of things that a person wishes to do or accomplish before one dies. It has become a symbol of adventure and opportunity, of being able to seize the moment and making it count.

We see celebrities doing extreme sports or traveling to various parts of the world to fulfill their bucket list. We hear people around us trying a new hobby or eating exotic food as they try to complete their own list.

Somehow, we get the idea that unless we, too, make our own list and fulfill it, we’d never live our lives fully and we’d miss all the wonderful things we could have done with the time given to us.

Fulfilling my bucket list

I guess that from a very young age, I was aware of the limited time we all have in this life. I wanted to seize every moment. I wasn’t yet aware of what a bucket list was when I started to dream about the things I wanted to do.

I wanted to go to a foreign country. I wanted to see the ocean, to climb a mountain, to sleep outside where only the stars serve as my evening lamp.

In a way, I have achieved many of the things I wanted to do. I was happy every time I was able to do something I never thought would be possible for me. The world was mine, and I felt so blessed.

Here are just of the things I was able to accomplish:

• Go to the beach
• Go up a lighthouse
• See some fireflies
• Walk in the rain
• Ride a motorbike
• Ride a plane
• Climb a mountain
• Learn to swim
• Go spelunking
• See a waterfall
• Travel all over the country
• Go to another country
• Open a coffee shop
• Retire from employment
• Set up a blog
• Write a book
• Write a memoir
• Publish a book
• Compose a song
• Record a song
• Fly a kite
• Ride a bike
• Go skating
• Row a boat
• Drive a car
• Play a musical instrument
• Learn a new language
• Life after the bucket list

A bucket list can provide a person with a sense of direction, especially early in life. Each item you put on your list is a goal you can aspire to. You have something to look forward to each day.

But what happens after you finish all of your goals? What if your bucket becomes empty later on? Should you fill it with more items to accomplish? Should you make another list?

It’s quite possible to just refill your bucket with more and more dreams. After all, as we live from day to day, we discover new things that attract our hearts. We want to go to new places. We want to experience new things. We crave to start new projects that would utilize our skills.

However, it is also possible to run out of motivation at one point or the other. In fact, we may grow tired of continuously seeking to fulfill one project after another.

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt as though achieving more things wouldn’t satisfy you anymore?

Sometimes, you arrive at a certain point in your life when you no longer want to participate in that endless process of accumulating trophies. You come at a point where you don’t want to waste your energy chasing dreams that no longer satisfy your soul.

You still want to do something, but it’s no longer a matter of experiencing something fun or crazy. You still want to work for something, but it’s no longer just to follow what other people expect you to do.

Your life list versus your bucket list

When you finally come to that point in life when you’re ready to embrace a new path, you may wish to build what I call a life list. A life list can work in a similar way to a bucket list in that you’re going to note the things you still want to do.

Unlike a bucket list, however, your objective is no longer to seize the moment and to come up with as many thrilling activities as you could. What you will write down are the things you think would make a lasting impact on your life.

Here are some of the other things that would distinguish your life list from your bucket list:

1. A bucket list may consist of things that merely give you a thrill or temporary excitement, whereas a life list is about more permanent things in life.

2. A bucket list is like your first love, whereas a life list is like your true and lasting love.

3. A bucket list may come from other people’s opinions, whereas a life list is about discovering your own desires.

4. A bucket list is like a diagnostic test with a hodgepodge of everything you feel like doing, whereas a life list comes from the wisdom of your past experiences.

5. A bucket list may be more focused on self, whereas a life list can be more focused on serving other people.

6. A bucket list may test your courage, whereas a life list will test your perseverance.

7. A bucket list may be more about happy moments, whereas a life list can be more about meaningful endeavors (usually with sacrifice).

8. A bucket list usually comes from the energy of youth, whereas a life list may come from being young at heart again.

Here’s an example of things you can have in your life list:

• include having a regular exercise in my morning routine
• have a simple lifestyle that can allow me to work on a job I love
• set aside time for spiritual growth
• consider moving to a place that is closer to nature
• meet friends who are able to share my passion
• write a book that can help other people improve their relationships
• include fruits and vegetables in my daily diet

Final thoughts

If you have not yet made your bucket list, maybe you can start a combination of your life list and your bucket list. Enjoy the time that you have, but don’t forget to also make time for the things that would matter in the long run.

In the end, you may realize that you have still included some things in your life list that are similar to what you’d have put in your bucket list. It doesn’t matter if it happens that way because what’s important is your own motivation and perspective.

You have grown so much from the time you have completed your bucket list. Your bucket list has helped you gain the wisdom you need to decide which path you’d now like to follow in life. Whether you want to make another list or you simply want to focus on your life goals, what matters is that you have a better understanding of what your life means to you.

Life is to be lived. We seize the moment but we do not forget the many days ahead. Days we can still spend giving, savoring the fruits of our labor and creating meaning in everything that we do.

“Pursuing your dream takes the same amount of work as acquiring more things that you don’t really care about or want — so you might as well pursue your dream.” — John Maxwell