Writing a New Bucket List (Short-Term)

short-term bucket list

I had an unofficial bucket list in my head many years before, particularly stemming from my high school years. There’s some items that I’ve since had retracted, and a few that I’ve decided to give more thought. Though instead of putting optional items, I decided to put the ones that are most important to me. And instead of it being a bucket list for all the items that I want to check off over the remainder of my life, I’d like to focus specifically on the new few years. Here is the list I have so far (in no particular order):

  • A series of books related to real life experiences and sharing my insights/lessons with others, starting with the “now”, followed up by a prequel and a sequel (the first book’s title already having been determined)
  • My fourth original single with a featured music video, with a whooole storyline and promotion behind it, taking my time to execute it “perfectly”, releasing updates along the way, for people who are experiencing something similar and to hopefully inspire the message of setting boundaries and having healthy relationships
  • Eventually, a whole original album, consisting of at least 4 songs, with some kind of meaningful theme, probably related to releasing old stuck energy and allowing in the new
  • Traveling to LA and then eventually living there for a whole year
  • Streaming setup for gaming and music production, as well as an alternative place to film
  • Community project related to helping individuals, probably mental health related, and creating opportunities for non-traditional students/workers, funded privately
  • Physical fitness related feat, such as successfully executing a handstand
  • AI-related project that teaches coping skills for mental health, such as learning how to better manage with anxiety

Some of these are more related to personal, creative projects. Though, I try to think about the kind of ripples that they could create as well. I focus on making it intentional. If I feel good about the intention, then most likely, someone else is going to pick up on that as well. I’m hoping to accomplish major progress or completion for most of these items over the next 3 years. (I kind of arbitrarily picked the number of years, so it’s subject to change of course.) If I could check off a solid 4 of these, that would actually be pretty dope. There’s 8 total so far, since I’ve had time to think over it by not rushing to have a new year’s resolution. I think making major progress to 1 goal every 6 months is pretty solid. Some may take less time, and others might take even longer. I’d like to give myself a time buffer, though not excessively so, because then projects can easily become delayed.

If you’ve noticed, I don’t focus so much on how much money I’m going to receive in return. Of course, that is nice as well. And, I do have things that I’d love to have on a material level. Though, I intentionally decided to focus on the experiences that I’d like to have, as well as the positive ripples I’d like to send out. I’m not a cold-calling salesy type of person. If you’re not interested in what I have to offer, there’s a million other services and products out there that you can check out that hopefully satisfy your needs and wants. But if you happen to be a good match, most times I’m not even going to have to ask you to buy. You’re just gonna do it because you want to. It’s kind of like how I don’t work for money, I work because I want to. 😄 And if you think that’s a luxury, that’s because you still probably believe in scarcity-minded hustling and cold-calling. Though, that’s a tangent for another post!

Currently when I’m looking at the list, 5 bullet points stick out to me. That’s because I’ve gained some momentum or traction in those goals. I think of the first bullet (publishing a 3-part book non-fictional series) because I’ve been outlining ideas in my head as well in my daily 10 ideas lists. The second one (my fourth single and building up hype for it) is this idea that has been building over time. It was originally two separate drafts of songs, until I realized that I could combine them and create the ultimate epic anthem for a specific theme, to be revealed in due time. 😉 Moving to LA has always been a dream of mine, though I always was told that it was “too expensive”. I don’t know why people ask me to dream small so often, but I told myself hey, I’d just love to at least experience it for once in my life, and then decide if it’s something I’d like to continue doing. So, travel plans of LA were in recent talks with friends. 👀 And then the streaming setup is something I’ve been delaying, but also been trying to chip away at. It’s been a great excuse for actually decluttering and organizing, after struggling with fatigue for some time. I’m also really stoked about the AI project I have in mind. Though, I haven’t conceptualized it fully. At some point, I’m interested in building a whole team for it.

Now normally, I would keep these ideas private, because I would feel like I “should” be making progress towards all these goals. I’d feel like I needed to be accountable to others. But, I’m not actually motivated in the self-disciplined sort of way. Although I like to be social in executing some goals, I also find it very important to be intrinsically motivated and curious. The joy of sharing it with others is the icing on the cake.

The reason I’m sharing though is because I’m curious if anyone else is working towards these. And, I’m also sending a message, if you will, to “the simulator”. This is me setting my intentions of experiences. And if someone happens to want to work towards a similar goal or to help me achieve my vision, then this is the invitation.

It’s funny because as I had been thinking of career goals specifically, I realized that I’m technically already there. The only parts that are left are to-do lists such as incorporating, scaling, building a solid team, fostering community, and more. Those are all aspects that I’m already working on. I’m glad that I’ve become less concerned about the titles, the material possessions, the social proof, the accolades, and more about doing what you would do regardless, because it feels good and it comes from a conscious place. Not that I’m 100% where I would like to be in regards to mindset or wellness in general, but that I’m in a much better place than I was before. I’m especially (and shyly) proud that I could overcome one of the most difficult and loneliest phases in my life. If the lesson was resilience, I think I !@#$ing aced that. 😂 I’m just collecting extra credit at this point. I’m half joking. I don’t think that I’m super resilient, nor do I highly value that. As I’m reflecting now, I think that it was more about perseverance and a lesson of healthy attachments.

When I’m looking at my short-term bucket list, I’m thinking that you know, these goals feel good. These are goals that feel very meaningful to me. Some might take time to flesh out and uncover. But, they feel good. I don’t feel like I’m pushing myself too hard or that it’s going to be stressful. I’m genuinely curious and I think of how enjoyable the journey would be.

There’s other bullet points that come to mind. Though, I’m not attached to any specific outcome. They’re more like, “That would be nice.” And maybe one day when I gain a bit more clarity on that, I’ll post an entry or a video or something to indicate that I’m ready for those experiences. Some are quite vague, so I think I’d like to do some more exploration.

Abundance is also a very funny teacher. Sometimes you think you’re ready, and then you get the thing, and you realize you didn’t know what to do with it at all. 😂 It’s like way back when I posted myself talking to the webcam on YouTube for the first time. I thought I was ready to go on the YouTube journey, until I had 1K views the next day, and I immediately was scared and took it down. (I’m talking about over a decade ago, haha, so that was pretty intimidating back in the day.)

I gotta sort past a bit of resistance and underlying fears. They’re all warranted and valid. It’s just honestly, a lot trauma and then unlearning, followed by being retraumatized and then unlearning on my own terms in my own time. It’s reflecting and deep-diving, without being told what I “should” be doing or thinking or saying. It’s having those people in my life, from various walks of life, who understand that acceptance is the foundation of conscious transformation. That if I disagree, I won’t be forced into submission against my will, but be free to open discussion and ultimately choose my path.

(I have so many stories to share regarding that last statement. Though, I’ll save parts for my book draft.)

Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.