I am obsessed with accomplishing things. From my daily to-do list, to every page of my reading for class, I love "checking it off", completing it, feeling like I achieved something. So, at the beginning of this year, I made a 2016 Bucket List-- just a list of things I wanted to do this year. Simple, right? Well, it's the middle of May and I have yet to achieve anything on the list. It's not like I've sat around and been lazy; it's just that the expectations I placed for myself in January were just a little too high. Instead of focusing on what I should do and haven't, why don't I focus on things I'll never do? Instead of a Bucket List, why don't we create Chuck-It Lists?
Refusing to accept defeat, I'm actually changing the game! I'm turning my Bucket List into a Chuck-It List. I don't need to focus on my losses, my failures, and anything else I've yet to accomplish...especially when the things I haven't done are just as important!
So, here you have it: My Chuck-It List!
1) Get a 4.0 GPA.
I'm so tired of telling myself I should get a 4.0 GPA in order to be happy. Sure, it would be awesome. But why is this something I've been determined to do all this time? What if I got a 3.8? A 3.9? ....3.99?? Would that make me unsuccessful? Absolutely not. So, I'm chucking the idea that I need to get a 4.0 in order to feel accomplished. Forget about it.
2) Weigh what I weighed when I graduated high school.
This is another one that drives me insane. I graduated two years ago, but yet for the last two years I've been telling myself I won't be happy until I weigh what I weighed when I graduated high school. But honestly, why is that on my list? I've gained weight, and lost weight. I stumbled upon stress upon stress, dining hall cookies, and late night pizza. My life isn't the same as it was two years ago. Why should my body be? Screw it.
3) Pretend to be someone I'm not.
This seems like an obvious one-- we, as humans, should never want to be a person that we're not. However, time and time again, I find myself wishing to be a little different in some way. Maybe it's being more confident, more outgoing, smarter, or even "cooler". But, the more I think about it, the more ridiculous this concept sounds. Why would we ever want to change who we are? We need to stop forgetting about comparisons or improvements in personalities. Changing who we are-- that's not worth being on the bucket list.
4) Wear a beret.
Yep. That's it. That's just something I'm not willing to do. Like, ever.
5) Never miss out on a party in college.
I'm tired of being told that college will be the best four years of my life, because college? It's hard as hell. A lot of my late nights were the result of mounds of homework and upcoming exams. My weekend is not a 24/7 party, and I shouldn't have to feel like it should be. I should be able to feel like I can stay in for a night if I want to, watch 7 hours of Netflix if I want to...or even read a book for fun on my day off if I want to. I know, crazy.
6) Run a marathon.
For some reason, I feel like running a marathon would be the ultimate test of fitness. In reality, however, I'm happy with myself if I can run a mile without stopping. But yet running a marathon has been on my bucket list time and time again. This year, I'm finally giving it up. I can be healthy without running a marathon-- especially if I'm not good at running!
7) Buy a private island.
A bucket list is not complete without some type of material object. A nice car, a plane, a million dollars, whatever...most of the time we want some type of tangible prize. It's okay to want, of course, but we all know that the obtaining of whatever this material object is will not bring eternal happiness. I'll never own a private island, and that's okay. That's why it's on my Chuck-It List. I don't need it!
8) Never make mistakes.
We all want to improve, to strive for perfection-- that's why we write Bucket Lists in the first place. We think that the accomplishment of whatever is on the list will ultimately bring joy, success, achievement. It could be true, sure. However, in writing a Chuck-It List, I achieved the same feelings by re-affirming the things I'll never do, and that's awesome. I don't want to look at a list and be reminded of what I haven't yet done. Reminding ourselves of our failures never helps us improve. So, forget about the dreaded Bucket List. Tell yourself what you'll never do-- write a Chuck-It List.
