How to Create a Bucket List
Spending your money on experiences rather than material items will definitely make you happier and what better experience is there than traveling and seeing the world. This is the main reason people create bucket lists; however, unfortunately, some people have bucket lists as a way to meet last wishes.
What is a Bucket List Anyway?
Put quite simply; a bucket list is something that you wish to do before die. However, it doesn’t have to be that morbid, as it can be sights, sounds, places and experiences you wish to see in your lifetime, with no set goal as when you have to do them by. It’s things you want to do and love to do.
Let’s Get Started
Take ownership of the list as the onus is on you alone to make sure that you achieve your list. Ways to make sure you are taking accountability of what you want to do are to make sure you create your list with friends and family as then they fully subscribe to it and then urge you and encourage you to keep ticking off items on the list.
This is not for those that don’t like to be ‘oversharers’ on social media; however, it is one way to take the plunge, and that’s by publishing it online. By doing this, you then feel the pressure to start ticking off the items for fear of looking a fool when you have made a big deal of publishing it, but then not actually achieving any of them!
Set goals. By setting yourself realistic targets, you have something to plan for and can start the process going on doing the things on the list. By setting goals, you are also considering how you can finance some of the points as many of them will undoubtedly be expensive as, let’s be honest, who has ‘go to the library and loan a book’ on their list.
Be Realistic
If you set the items on your list to be in farfetched corners of the world for every point, then you are going to lose momentum as these are probably not going to be achievable. Mainly because of costs but also as the average person isn’t going to be able to travel the world every week and still work to pay for the trips!
Make sure you have some points that are achievable on the weekend for example, so you don’t feel so pressurized to travel far as the whole point of a bucket list is completely for fun and not stress.
Examples of this could be spending a weekend binge-watching a series on Netflix if that’s something you’ve never done before (seriously though; you’ve been missing out) or finding a local cookery course where you can learn how to make a seven course a la carte menu!
Go Long
Similar to the point above about making the list achievable and realistic, also make sure that you don’t make it so easy that 10 of your 15 point bucket list is complete within a year. By making one of your goals the chance to fly to the moon with Sir Richard Branson a target, this means that there is a chance it can happen, albeit a slim one unless you win the lottery, but there is still a chance. So, when you do hit this point in your list, it will feel incredible, and undoubtedly a lot of planning and finance will have had to go into this one.
A way to write these types of points on your list is to consider things that you perhaps thought you would never be able to do. It’s this kind of determination that will make your list an exciting and challenging one. Also, think about what’s the craziest thing you would like to do and then subsequently brag about? It’s this thinking that will get your list of to a great start.
Best Way to Pay
The problem with an ongoing bucket list is that you have to dip into your finances at different points to achieve some of the points. For example, you’ll need to save for a while to go on an exclusive island holiday if you are currently working part-time in a bar, whereas going on a zip wire over a lake is doable if it’s local, therefore you won’t need to worry too much about how you will pay for this.
The best way to plan items on the list is to either get short term loans which you can repay once the event is done, or think about the best credit cards that you can use to pay for further afield trips. By using credit cards, you are also adding a level of protection to your trip as some credit cards cover costs if something goes wrong.
The Real Point of Life
Although travel and experiences have been talked about a lot here, an important element of a bucket list is missing, which is the everyday life you lead. It means that by taking a look at what you do every day and what you feel every day to see what could be enhanced. There’s no point making an incredible adventure across the world, to then only be miserable when you return as you hate your job.
Consider different categories in your life such as career, family, friends, and hobbies and perhaps list ten things that you could add to a bucket list on each category. Or look at things you’re unhappy with in your life and see how you can make changes to improve them, all while hitting points on the list.
Doing something with your life and really feeling you have achieved is paramount to feeling good and feeling like you’ve lived. There are many incredible journeys you can have across the world to tick off numbers on your list. However, make sure the ones close to home aren’t overlooked while you’re dreaming big, and check that you have hit all the points in your personal life for which you want to be happy with as well as the big ones.
