Have You Started Your Bucket List Yet?

Have You Started Your Bucket List Yet?

 Most people know what a “bucket list” is, for those that don’t … it is a list of things you want to do before you die. You can also find the movie, “The Bucket List” with Jack¹ Nicholson and Morgan Freeman and give it a watch. This will give you the basics. Motivation

When I was putting my list together, I was worried that I would fall victim to that old “procrastination²” monster. You know the one that keeps you thinking about goals but not actually taking any action on them. I really had to work it out in my head and create a mindset of small steps.

Fear

I think ultimately³ fear is what gives birth to that procrastination monster, and is also the big “thing” that gets in the way of us really stepping out there and trying new things. We start to worry and then get stuck in the analyzing⁴ mode. How much will it cost? How long will it take? Will I die trying this? What will others think of me?

Action

I know it is extremely hard sometimes to get past those feelings of fear, but you CAN do it. It starts with shifting your mindset and then building up courage. The fear doesn’t actually go away. You just make the decision that your goal/result/task/ desire is much stronger than the fear.

Triumph

There are a few steps that you need to walk yourself through that will get you heading in the right direction. I would highly recommend keeping a journal to help you dig into your mind.

Ask yourself, “Where are my fears coming from? Past history in our lives, or maybe all the people around us saying we can’t do this or that. You need to discover just where the root of these fears lies.

Accept fear as the price of success. Trust that everyone has fears and many people can never break free of it, but there are those that do keep moving forward.

Light a fire. Light a fire of passion inside of you that burns away the darkness of fear. Take control of the things you can and have faith that everything else will work out as it should.

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ The danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it. If you fail anywhere along the line, it will take away your confidence. You must make yourself succeed every time. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt

The List

Let your mind go. Give yourself the freedom to think about all the things you’ve always dreamed of doing. Then write them down.

Inspiration⁵ for Generating⁶ Your Own Bucket List

Travel to Tuscany to take cooking lessons.

Learn how to knit⁷ or do woodcarving.

Re-read, “War and Peace” and “Great Expectations.”

Volunteer for a mission in Haiti.

Go a whole week without television.

Hike at least part of the Appalachian Trail in the U.S.

Learn the Japanese language.

Get down to your goal weight to see what it feels like.

Take a vacation alone to a place you’ve always wanted to go.

Go on a road trip with your family.

Spend a week at a health spa.

Go vegan for a month.

Cook every recipe in your favorite cookbook.

Walk 2 miles a day five days a week for three months.

Learn to operate a sailboat and then go sailing.

The items on the list can be anything and everything under the sun! I have my list broken out into categories: travel, fitness⁸ and new skills are just a few. Here is what I have for new skills.

Learn new Skills

Horseback riding

Float plane

Motorcycle License⁹

Hunters License

Archery

Kite surfing

Paddle boarding

Now what?

After you’ve made the list, the only thing to do is Go For It!

Each week or month, strive¹⁰ to carry out an item on your Bucket List. Then, cross it off your list. You can add to your list as you think of other activities you’d like to do before you’re no longer on this earth.

Life is for living and what better way to do it than following your dreams and really enjoying it by experiencing it. You’ll become infused with energy and excitement at the idea of achieving another activity on your bucket list. With your bucket list, you might be compelled to discover an existence you’ve only fantasized about.

Feel the fear and do it anyway!

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 procrastination   

n.拖延，耽搁

参考例句：

• Procrastination is the father of failure. 因循是失败的根源。
• Procrastination is the thief of time. 拖延就是浪费时间。

3 ultimately   

adv.最后地，最终地，首要地，基本地

参考例句：

• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。
• Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.缺乏维生素C最终能道致坏血病。

4 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

5 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

6 generating   

n.发生，产生v.生（儿、女）( generate的现在分词 )；（通过物理或化学过程）发生；生成；引起

参考例句：

• There are many ways of generating a two-dimensional representation of an object. 有很多制作物体二维图的方法。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Generating functions are an ideal tool for studying sequences defined by recurrence. 母函数是研究用递推关系来确定的函数的最理想工具。 来自辞典例句

7 knit   

vt.编织，密接，结合，皱眉；vi.编织，变得紧凑，愈合；n.编织

参考例句：

• She could knit up a baby's coat in an afternoon.她能在一个下午织好一件婴儿的衣服。
• Our letters enabled us to knit up our old friendship.通信使我们恢复了旧日的友谊。

8 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

9 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

10 strive   

vi.努力，奋斗，力争

参考例句：

• Don't strive merely for quantity of production.在生产中不要单纯地追求数量。
• The scientists strive for a breakthrough in cancer research.科学家们力争在癌症研究方面有个突破。