Building and living a life that feels full includes determining what things and experiences will bring joy and fulfillment.
Most of us have heard the term ‘Bucket List’ before, and the first thought that comes to mind might be something extreme or adventurous like skydiving. A Bucket List is supposed to be a list filled with the things that we want to achieve in our lifetime, things that we want to make sure we do so that we don’t have any regrets. We all have things that we would like to achieve, goals, milestones, and experiences that we feel will make our lives feel full and well-lived. For seniors, making a list of the things that they have yet to do but feel will bring them a sense of joy, fulfillment, adventure, or pride can be a wonderful way to motivate them and to remind them that they have a great life left to live. Being older shouldn’t mean that unfulfilled dreams get pushed aside.
Making a Bucket List as A Senior
By the time people reach the point where they become seniors, they have already achieved so many meaningful and notable things in their lives, from small little moments to big accomplishments. In the new stage of life in which seniors find themselves, they may well have new priorities, new points-of-view, and new goals that are worth pursuing.
Sitting down to make a Bucket List can be an exciting activity for seniors, and it can be fun to really take the time to reflect on what things feel like they will contribute to the building of a full, well-lived, and meaningful life.
Many seniors find themselves with more time and freedom in retirement, time that they can use to focus on themselves and the pursuit of their dreams and goals. In the midst of all of the changes, challenges, and difficulties that can come with growing older, seniors can benefit immensely from focusing on the things that are important to them and the activities they want to try.
In many ways, making this kind of list and working to check things off of it can be a wonderful way for seniors to celebrate themselves, their lives, and the process of growing into themselves through ageing.
How to Start
Making a Bucket List, or helping someone you care about to make one for themselves, starts with the asking of a couple of key questions that help guide the process and hone in on the types of things that feel important.
- What dreams and goals do you hold for yourself?
- What new skills could you learn that would boost your self-esteem and sense-of-self?
- In what areas of your life are there things you want to grow, build, achieve, or accomplish?
- Are there places you have never been that you have always wanted to go?
- Are there experiences you have always wanted to have but have never gotten around to?
Questions like these are a great place to start because they can help seniors to zero-in on what types of things they want to achieve on a small and large scale, from big experiences and new skills, to special little moments alone or with loved-ones.
Making this list can happen in one shot, or can be slowly added to over time as seniors think more and more about things that they want to make a part of their stories.
A simple little search on the internet can bring up hundreds of examples of things that seniors might want to put on their Bucket Lists. Whether it be travelling to a new country, starting a meditation practice, learning a new language, having special experiences with family members, achieving a physical goal, getting a pet, passing on wisdom, or any other thing large or small, seniors should never forget that the things that they value are always important and worth pursuing.
