Notes on: Rethinking Your Bucket List

'Rethinking Your Bucket List' is taken from the course 'Managing Happiness,' by Arthur Brooks on edX.org.

The issue with a bucket list

Many people have a bucket list, or a list of goals that they want to achieve in their lifetime. For some, this is an actual list, shared with people and or written down and actively pursued, but for others the list remains a distant dream of accomplishments. The purpose of the bucket list is to add things to your life.

As you accomplish things you become satisfied as you are able to check them off your bucket list one by one. With each accomplishment is one less regret on your deathbed of something you wish you had done. This sounds like it would make you live a happier life, but research shows the complete opposite.

What actually happens, is there may be a brief period of elation once we knock something off our bucket list, but our expectations reset almost immediately after. In other words, we only feel good for a short while, and what follows is the desire for more experiences and accomplishments.

Chasing never ending goals leaves us feeling in a constant state of being behind.

The pursuit of smaller things

Instead of a bucket list, consider a reverse bucket list, and think about how you can take things away. Less things on your list means less things for you to chase.

"Aspire to what is essential by avoiding the undisciplined pursuit of bigger and better with a disciplined pursuit of smaller things that you truly value." - Greg Mckeown

Taking things away not only will help you escape the pursuit of circular goals, it will also help you practise gratitude. With less comes more happiness.