How Making a Bucket List Changed My Life Post-Quarantine

In April 2020, I created a bucket list out of complete boredom while trying to pass the seemingly never ending free-time in quarantine. Some of the things on my list I couldn’t quite do during COVID, but having them written down kept me optimistic. 

I forgot about the list quickly after making it and thought nothing of it until recently when I found it on my computer. I blew my own mind when I realized that I had completed most of the things on that list.   

Some things on my bucket list that I accomplished:

• Skydiving
• Ski a new mountain
• Study abroad (I will be applying soon!)
• Vote for the first time
• Visit some of my best friends’ colleges
• Travel to a new state

I further surprised myself when I thought of all of the things not on that bucket list that I had accomplished, simply by living outside of my comfort zone a little more than usual. This made me realize how beneficial making a bucket list can be. Not just to “visit the Eiffel Tower” or “swim with sharks”, but just to always be striving for adventure and something new. 

Things that I did NOT expect to do that were not on my bucket list:

• Traveled to two new states
• Got a job as a baker
• Started a blog, pursued social media and developed relationships with brands/ other influencers
• Changed my major twice
• Learned how to wakeboard
• Took a pickleball lesson

My Challenge For You

Try thinking of new activities that seem potentially absurd or out of reach that interest you. Then go write all of those things down. You may laugh at yourself for some of the things you write down, but the fact that you wrote them down shows that those adventures are something that you DO want to do. 

Whenever you discover this bucket list next, whether you keep it in a book, or in your google docs, you may surprise yourself with how many of those things you were able to check off. That spark of passion may turn into a way of life for you too. The BEST part is that you don’t need to go bungee jumping off a 5 mile high bridge every day to accomplish this. Eventually, you may just find yourself doing things that would usually be out of your comfort zone, voluntarily. 

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