Bucket List

Our mind is a beautiful yet complex thing. It has such potential that through focus and determination, it can achieve greater heights.


Since my childhood, I was enthralled by a lot of things. Things that would require more than my potential to get them done. Whether it's learning a new instrument or finishing a marathon, I'd always challenged myself. It was the excitement of endeavouring a new thing that had always pushed me.


It was in the early '20s when I heard the word 'bucket list' for the very first time. It instantly got stuck in my mind. The idea of having a list of things to do before you die was stimulating. I vividly remember the first thing I consciously did to mark the start of my bucket list.


It was the summer of 2005, the result day of my junior high school. The classroom was jam-packed with adults and their young ones. I was quietly sitting with my father in the 3rd row in front of my class teacher. I was nervous about my results and was praying for a good remark. I could hear the low pitch scolding of my classmates. Please come, the teacher without any emotion pointed us.


"It is in a situation like this when one could predict the future. -Thought of a nervous kid"


Congratulations, my teacher happily welcomed. For a mere second, we both(me and my father) shared a silent glance. It was the merit for attendance I was appreciated for. The teacher said that I was the only student in the whole school who had a full 100% attendance. I saw a proud smile on my fathers face. I was happy too, my first checked thing, from my to-do list.


Remembering that day and the days after that I'd checked a lot of things on my bucket list. I'd learned a new language, I had completed my first solo trip, I'd even done a few tough treks. But now I don't feel the same satisfaction as I used to have. The list which is always growing is losing its value.


The problem is not the list but the items on the list. Earlier everything I wanted was my interest. But now in this age of social media influence and new trends, I unknowingly lost control of my thoughts.


Our thoughts are the by-products of our experiences and the things we know. It could be an article we had read or, a picture we had seen or maybe a story we had heard. Our mind somehow tends to combine these sources to make something imaginative, believable. If not mindfully assessed we might eventually trap ourself in someone else dreams.


So next time when you think something is interesting. Think thrice before you go after it. Take control of thoughts. It could and could not be the thing you actually wanted.




P.S.
Have fun fulfilling your own bucket list. :-)