A bucket list refers to a list of things that one wants to accomplish before death. In fact, the phrase itself is derived from the expression, “kicking the bucket,” which means to die. This expression doesn’t have a clear etymology—regardless, it is used in the day-to-day English repertoire, and has inspired other terms, including “bucket list.”

Lists help bring sense into the chaos of life by way of prioritizing; each item that can be checked off a list puts you one step closer to your goals. A bucket list, then, should bring clarity to the purpose of life, each item on the list bringing you closer to a hypothetically well-lived life. 

But winnowing infinite possibilities into a finite list is a challenging task. How could you ever say with confidence that the things on your bucket list are better than the ones that could’ve but haven’t made the list? Before an item joins any given list, there is a brief moment of possibility; and so selecting at the cost of other potential items seems cruel. 

In fact, a bucket list is a reminder of our deaths. It’s so easy to assume that we’ll live forever, that our deaths are only an idea existing strictly in theory, removed from certainty. But in fact, we will all die someday (some sooner than others). It’s important to live today meaningfully because no one has certainty of when the last day will be. 

Writing down your dreams helps give them definition, and compiling them in a document creates a product of your thoughts to share with the world. The very circumstances that lead to any one specific person being born are less than one in a trillion; the time that we have here is precious, and without doubt worthy of documentation. 

All that said, consider creating a bucket list today and sharing it with the world soon.