I have been dwelling on the idea that I should be getting my “bucket list” for some time now. Watching TED Talks, movies, listening podcasts, reading people’s ideas… there are amazing things that you could add and pursue them before you come to the end of the road.
Yesterday, I was listening a podcast on “How to Chase Your Dreams” by Yes Theory. They were talking about these four unpredictable colleague boys who found a way to create a community that now has more than 5 million subscribers in Youtube. The meaning of life, their purpose, how to break their routines and take a step forward to the undiscovered terrains of their future… how did they do it?
With some thinking and more reading, it all came back at me. Do not wait for someone to tell you go out there, to be inspired or overthink your actions – just start acting, right?
Here is a motive for you. One day, you hear that you are diagnosed with some disease or you had an accident which made you quadriplegic – stuck in a wheelchair. What would you do? – Would you hope for some miracle to get you out of that situation or would you try to live your remaining (unfortunately limited) life with utmost fulfillment? Would you think the things that you could do but didn’t? Would you try to be a nicer human being towards those who in your life? Would you have any regrets?
If you think about it, you don’t need to answer these questions after you have a trauma or a phone call from your doctor. The answer is right there, you just need to ask the questions yourselves right away. Are you happy with what you are doing, do you think you are pursuing what is in your heart? If not, then find what it is that you solely want. Here, the bucket list helps.
For so long, I thought bucket lists are the last wishes before the inevitable (probably due to that movie where Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson share the same hospital room) but not anymore. A bucket list can rotate you for the direction that your mind and soul meet, it can help you find your passion, inspire you to move forward.
“A list, not the things that you want to do before dying, but the things that you want to do while alive. A list, not the things you tick to complete but the things you want to feel…”
Remember what happened when you commit to something? For example, you had a 30-days abs workout or went vegan in January. How did it feel? You remember the joy, passion and fulfillment when you complete what you committed and the best part is, it changed you during the process, made you a wholesome individual. Yes, my frame for the bucket list is all about it. You pursue what you wrote and try to achieve them which will help you drop off your harmful habits, daily routines and will put you in discomfortable situations where you might not know what to do. This is where you learn, connect with yourself.
After creating my “list” 2 days ago, I registered to accomplish one of my earliest dreams – The Cross-Continental Swimming Race in Istanbul Bosphorus. I am going to swim across the waters that binds Europe to Asia. It’s just super exciting as an old swimmer when I think about the history, all the stories, plus the sceneries where green meets with blue. Before all these beautiful emotions though, I have to complete a 800m pool race and come in a good time to not be eliminated and gain the right to be in the Bosphorus. That means no more chocolate chip cookies, late night snacks and beers for 3 months… Genuinely speaking, I may not make it into the selected zone but I’ll drop off my harmful habits, change my daily routine and go for it. I have no regrets.
The movie might not be perfect but there is a quote that I liked between those two actors. On top of one of the pyramids, Freeman says,
“In ancient Egyptian heavens’ gate, people were asked two questions before admitted inside – Have you found joy in your life? Have you brought joy in others life?”
What would you answer to them?
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