If you want to experience life to its fullest potential, create a bucket list of things you absolutely have to do at least once before you settle into the grave.
1. Travel
The first item on your bucket list should be to get up and get out. Simply put: People who don’t travel get locked into one way of living, and grow to believe it’s the only way to live. They lack the ability to see from different perspectives, and have a hard time accepting people who are different from themselves.
On the other hand, those who yearn to explore the world discover different cultures and ways of living – ironically coming to understand just how similar all humans really are in the process. By traveling the world, you’ll come to find that there is no single “right” way to live your life.
You’ll also be exposed to the natural beauty of Earth. Whether exploring the rainforests of South America or looking for something to do in Dubai, there’s always more to see as long as you keep traveling.
2. Accomplish a Major Physical Feat
The human body is capable of a lot. However, we sometimes take our physical abilities for granted and allow our talents to go to waste. Of course, not everyone is capable of completing the same physical tasks – but we all can set individual goals that we’d like to accomplish at some point in our lives.
Whether it’s completing a marathon (or even a 10k), performing an extreme sport, or simply losing weight, we should all aim to do something with our bodies while they are full of life and able to run at peak performance.
3. Master a Skill
We’re blessed not only with machine-like bodies, but also with computer-like brains, as well. Our brains are responsible for all of the advances the human race has seen since we evolved tens of thousands of years ago. But, when not put to good use, the mind can be our most wasted gift of all. We should all do something every single day to ensure this doesn’t happen.
Learn how to draw. Master a musical instrument. Learn a new language (vocal or programming). Become a chess wizard. Find something you love to do, and dedicate yourself to becoming great at it. It’s easy to be a hobbyist, but it’s much more rewarding to be a specialist.
4. Teach a Skill
If you’re good at something, you should never keep it to yourself.
First of all, teaching is the best way to truly learn. When you teach a skill to a newbie, you don’t simply scratch the surface – you dig deep, getting to the nuances of the topic. This means you need to have a true understanding of all facets of the topic at hand, so you can straighten out any confusion in your protege along the way.
Furthermore, when you undertake the responsibility of teaching a skill to a beginner, you pay it forward. You take into consideration all the effort and energy others put into teaching you, and you impart this wisdom in another up-and-coming individual. In this way, you continue a chain of learning that began way before you were even born, and will continue to grow long after you’re gone.
5. Perform a Random Act of Kindness
Okay, you should definitely perform more than one good deed in your lifetime. In fact, doing nice things for others is a great way to increase your overall happiness. But this goes beyond small deeds like holding doors and buying coffee for the mother in line behind you at Starbucks.
You should aim to do something at least once in your life that truly puts someone else’s needs in front of your own. Make a sacrifice that, while it may set you back a little bit, will make a world of difference in someone else’s life. You never know just how great an effect your efforts can have on the world. Help someone else reach their full potential, and your influence will live on.
6. Do Something that Scares You
This should go without saying, since many of the items on this list likely frighten you at least a little bit. But a bucket list wouldn’t be a bucket list if it didn’t include activities that scare the daylights out of you.
Above all else, you should aim to do something you never thought you would do in life. Though the phrase “you only live once” has become an overused meme over the past few years, the sentiment is true: When you’re lying on your deathbed, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.
Don’t let a case of the “what if”s stop you from doing something new and exciting. You never know if you’ll enjoy it unless you give it a shot.