Bucket list posts
Starting a bucket list was one of the single most influential things Ive ever done in my life. Show
Seriously. In 2009, I was stuck in a day job I wasnt excited about, longing for travel, and wishing I could do something about it. Id saved up all of my vacation time for the year to go to Rio de Janiero for Carnival. It was two weeks of the most epic adventures Id ever had in my life. We went hang gliding over Rio, went to Iguazu Falls, danced in the Carnival parade we did it all. And the whole time there was this nagging thought that I couldnt shake: I should be able to do this stuff whenever I want. To cap it all off, the day I got back I got a 20% pay cut. A few weeks later I had a chance encounter with Chris Guillebeau, and he encouraged me to do two things:
So thats what I did. Two months later Location Rebel was a reality, and I set to work checking things off my bucket list. This led to me leaving my job, moving to Thailand, starting a business and creating a lifetimes worth of stories in a short period of time. Chris and I used to meet at Starbucks every month or two during that first year. It was pretty cool to see him 11 months after that first meeting at a Starbucks in Bangkok: Chris and I in Bangkok circa 2010. Within a couple years of publishing my list in an effort to hold myself accountable for actually doing these things, I:
The list goes on (you can see it below). Over a decade later, Imstillworking for myself and having adventures. And its all thanks to creating my bucket list of 100+ things I wanted to do before I died. Ive realized that my goals have changed a lot since I first created that list, so my bucket list has evolved since then as well. In this post, Im going to answer questions like:
Ive also included the most up-to-date version of my bucket list that you can use for ideas and motivation. Table of Contents
What is a Bucket List?I can hear some of you right now, saying what the heck is that? Quite simply: A bucket list is a list of things to do before you die (or kick the bucket). The key here is that your list should be things that you want to do and would love to do. Thats all there is to it. It was made popular from the movie called The Bucket List where two terminally ill guys (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson) meet in a hospital and then set out on an adventure to try and do everything on their lists. Image. I mean, who wouldnt want to go and have some adventures with these guys, right? What Should You Put on Your Bucket List?My thoughts on this have evolved a lot over the last 12 years. My original list, had some unique items, but a lot them were your typical see the Eiffel Tower type items. (Which,checkby the way.) Theres nothing wrong with wanting to see the typical touristy hotspots. But I think your bucket list should be more personal than that. For instance, what are the things youre truly interested and passionate about? You should have a lot of items specifically related to those things. Whatpeopledo you want to have experiences with? The best part about traveling and frankly, life in general, are the people you share things with. So my current iteration of my bucket list has a number of things Id like to do with certain people that I think would be really meaningful. A few other categories to think about are:
We go into more depth on this one in our How to Start a Bucket List post. So if youre looking for a walk-through for creating your own, check that out. The Bucket List QuestA bucket list can be whatever you want it to be, but I personally love the idea of a quest. A quest is atypeof bucket list, but youre generally working towards a goal in a specific niche. For instance, Chris wanted to visit every country in the world by the time he was 35. Im trying to play the top 100 golf courses in the world. Im also trying to visit the top 100 bars in the world. While I dont call them bucket lists, thats effectively what they are. Its a list of things I would like to experience before I die they just happen to be all related to a common concept. So if youre really passionate about something, consider creating a quest rather than just a typical bucket list. My Bucket List (And Bucket List Ideas for You)Without further ado, lets jump into my current bucket list. This has evolved quite a bit from the original 100 things I published. Many items are still on there, and many have been removed. But Ive crossed off the ones Ive done, and added a little commentary about each section, to help give insights that might inspire you and your own list. Experiences with Specific PeopleI love being around people who are passionate about something. This holds especially true, when I have a shared passion for that thing. So many of these are people Id like to meet, but I dont just want to shake hands and say hi. I want to do something more memorable than that.
Places Id Like to Ski
Drinks
Food and RestaurantsEating can be one of the great joys and experiences in life. This is especially true when you travel. If you like to eat, food can be a fantastic starting point when creating your own bucket list.
The Fireworks Feast was the single greatest culinary experience Ive ever had: Work and BusinessMany of these bucket list goals were set when I originally published this list in 2009. Its nice to see that Ive made some progress!
Golf:As I mentioned above, golf is a passion of mine and something Ive traveled extensively for. So naturally, a portion of my bucket list is going to have some golf-related items.
My Top Golf Courses Id Like to Play
Sunrise on the most famous golf course in the world: St. Andrews.
Real Estate
Sunriver is one of my favorite places on Earth: HotelsIve always had a weird obsession with luxury hotels. Often its thehotelthat Im most excited for when I travel. This list could easily be dozens of items long, but these are some of the highlights for me:
Cool ExperiencesMajor Events
Travel Experiences
Other Interesting Bucket List Items:
Petra by Night in Jordan
What is a Reverse Bucket List?This past year theres been a growing trend of people creating whats known as a reverse bucket list. Essentially this is when instead of writing a list of things you want to do in life, you create a list of things youve already done. The idea is to help you realize that youve done more than you think. Its a great way to be thankful for those experiences, rather than frustrated at the things wehaventdone. Plus, we all like to take a minute and appreciate everything weve already accomplished, right? We look at what it is in detail and talk about how to create one in this video: Wantto learn more? Check out our post on reverse bucket lists. How to Get Anything You Want in LifeA lot of people start out with a bucket list because theyre thinking of all the things they truly want in life. Whether its material items, experiences, or relationships. Well heres the deal, getting anything you want in life is actually not as difficult as you think. Read: How to Get Anything You Want in Life (in 31 Simples Steps) How to Create a Bucket List of Your OwnOver the years Ive written quite a bit of content about bucket lists, because creating one has had such a dramatic affect on my life. Hopefully, these posts will help you come up with some cool bucket list ideas of your own and give you some things to think about as you begin creating your list.
Enjoy, and heres to doing more of the things that make us happy in life! |