What To Consider When Fulfilling Your Bucket List

By Helga Stokes


Bucket lists are no longer the preserve of people who are ill. The idea of putting personal dreams down on a list of things you want to achieve before you die was initially designed as a motivational tool for patients. It gave them goals to focus on and strive to reach. Helping them reach their goals was often supported by family and medical personnel. It is a process that allows you to set yourself goals that you can commit to achieving over a period of time by fulfilling your bucket list.

There are no hard and fast rules about how many tasks you can set for yourself. However, if you set too many goals you may become disheartened and give up. Starting with around ten or twelve tasks ranging from easily achievable to the more complex or difficult is what most people do. Simple tasks such as reading a specific book, or writing that letter you have meant to do for months once completed, can give you the motivation needed to try something more complex.

When you are setting the timescales for completing all the tasks and goals you want to achieve, allow for some flexibility without being too loose with timings. Some individuals use months, years, or birthdays as their completion goal. Use whatever timescale you feel is appropriate and will allow you to complete all the tasks successfully.

If you are unused to setting yourself goals, starting off with simple things that can stretch you, without overwhelming you, will build your self-confidence as you see the tasks completed. Use positive statements when compiling, thinking or talking about your tasks, by using I will, rather than I would like, or I should. A positive attitude can go a long way to helping you achieve important goals.

Some of the tasks may have a financial cost, such as taking up a new activity or hobby, or visiting a place or country. You need to research the practical issues such as travel, accommodation, health and safety requirements and the financial costs. Preparation and knowledge will be key to successful completion of tasks.

You can share a personal list with someone you trust. They may be able to support and encourage you with some of the tasks. It is not unusual for two or more in a group of family or friends to compile a list for the whole group.

You can be as creative as you like when deciding on what to include as dream goals. There are easy to find sources on the internet where you will have access to a very diverse range of ideas, some fairly simple ones and other more adventurous or complex goals. A broad range of goals helps to keep it an interesting exercise.

Fulfilling your bucket list should help to stretch you both emotionally and physically. You should be left feeling that you have accomplished something special for you when you complete a task. If the items on the agenda are things that you do frequently or even infrequently, it is unlikely you will gain from the experience.




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