What is on your bucket list?

Sometimes we are so consumed by work and the daily cycle of life that we forget we only have a finite amount of time on this Earth. When you look back over a year of toil what is it that you see?

There will be moments of joy like birthdays, celebrations, holidays and successes. Perhaps some moments of sadness, heartache and failure. But, the majority of the time, and I can almost guarantee it, will be full of work, washing up, cleaning, picking up the kids, dropping the kids off, stressing about 101 things, sleeping, feeling sleepy, illness, cooking, shopping…

We all do it and it eats away our time on this wondrous planet. Everyone makes time for the necessities in life but who stops to make time for the magical moments we ought to be searching out and embracing every opportunity we get?

At base we are still animalistic creatures craving fulfilment, seeking experience and adventure. So, why do we tie ourselves to our rigid repetitive lives? I know we all have to make a living but we are not doing that 24-7 (well most of us are not). So what can we do to save ourselves from the black hole of sleep deprivation, stress and work?

Write a bucket list. As most people know by now this is a list of all the things you wish to do before you die. The problem with them is that people tend to leave them too late. We find it very hard to live each day like it is our last. There is so much to do and most of us barely scratch the surface.

For instance you could:

• Trek the Himalayas
• Ride a skidoo or snowmobile ride
• Do an open water swim
• Meet your number one celebrity crush
• Get closer to nature
• Find yourself a secluded island for the best holiday escape ever
• Visit the seven wonders of the world
• Swim with dolphins

And if you are on a budget how the heck are you meant to make the most of the world? Well you have a few options:

• Last minute deals
• Hostels, home exchange, camping
• Save up: ditch the fags because life is already too short, stop paying for a lottery ticket because your chances are ridiculously slim and you will save a packet!

Or, you can dig a little deeper into your imagination and find some free, or almost free, fun stuff to add to your bucket list:

• Mountain biking through some stunning countryside
• Walking the length of Hadrian’s Wall
• Visit some breath-taking heritage, scenery, natural enigmas
• Taste new and sensational foods
• Find hidden gems: restaurants, museums, theatres, cinemas, walking routes, shops
• Do something meaningful like pay your respects at a war memorial, make time for a friend, research a charity you know nothing about, volunteer a day of your time for a worthy cause
• Read a book or a trilogy you have been meaning to get around to
• Start a course – any course
• Visit the seaside
• Throw a party just because
• Start a book club, wine tasting sessions, an Ann Summers group – whatever you want!
• Learn another language
• Learn a martial art, origami, cookery, pottery, pole dancing!

You can even enter your bucket list onto a website that will enable you to track and achieve your goals. It also gives you plenty of inspiration to fill your list full of crazy, creative and clever ideas. Visit: http://bucketlist.org/.

If I have not convinced you that there may be more to life than you are currently fitting into it then maybe I have not said it right.

You are here on this planet just the once (unless you believe in reincarnation in which case you may have been here before and will be again).

You have one life to experience all that you want to experience. If that amounts to work, eat, sleep, repeat – then maybe, just maybe, you are letting this single chance you have pass you by.

You do not have to sky dive, climb Everest, swim the channel, or ride a camel past the pyramids to feel fulfilled. That is not what this is about – you can be content without leaving your own country.

This is about filling your soul with wonder and joy. It is about jolting your expectations and treating yourselves to moments of awe and disbelief. You can sit at a desk your whole life and never realise how beautiful the view from your office is, how amusing the nearest person to you can be, or how fun a chair on wheels can become if you just open your eyes and break out of necessity and into a land of spontaneity.

So, spend some time today writing your bucket list and deciding what kind of life you want. What legacy will you leave behind you? Start writing it now and then start ticking them off because actioning your inner desires is going to make you smile. In fact it is going to make you grin, chuckle, and smirk to yourself every time you stop to appreciate how much richer your life just became.

Go and live life like you have never done before because otherwise what is the chuffing point?

Here are some ideas from our Alien Abacus to help you write your bucket list: abacus bucket list