The Bucket List

I finally watched The Bucket List today, and it made me cry.

The bucket list is a comedy/drama written by Justin Zackham and directed by Rob Reiner. It stars some of my favorite actors including Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

I watched it after recently seeing that it was one of the few Top Ten Films of the Year rated by the National Board of Review that I have not yet seen.

The story follows two terminally ill men (Nicholson and Freeman) on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they “kick the bucket.”

Hence, ‘The Bucket List’, which is a list of things you want to do before you die.

I shall not say more in case you haven’t seen the movie yet so that I don’t spoil it. It was pretty emotional as a movie, but it also inspired me to start my own Bucket List.

Living in The Now

I’ve always been a big believer of living in the moment. If you haven’t read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, I highly recommend you check it out.

Most of us suspend our lives making plans to live in the future, or to do things only when we retire, or after we get more financially secure or climb the career ladder. And out of fear of death or other fears, we hold back from doing things we have always dreamt of doing.

And guess what? Most of the time, we will never get around to doing the things we really want to do.

The only way to break this pattern is either to do it right here, right now, or in the near future.

Of course, that’s not always possible. The alternative would be to make your Bucket List, and to persistently check each and every item off it.

What a Bucket List should be

Here is my personal opinion on what a Bucket List should be:

• A list of things that you really want to do, maybe even just once
• Realistic things to do, but stretch your imagination
• They should not be things you can do in your daily regular life basis
• They should not be a a list of things to impress anyone else or to show off
• They should not be a list of unachievables

That means, there may be things you’ve already done, but not recorded on paper.

In which case, that’s a great start for your bucket list. Start writing those things down and cross them off!

Note: there’s obviously a fine line between blowing all your money in a day without any planning for the future, and in making the most of the present and in conquering your fears and pushing your comfort zone. I’m referring mostly to the latter.

More to come on my list. And feel free to share yours if you have one too.

If you haven’t seen the movie, check it out. And if you have, do share your thoughts!