Adventurers typically don’t set out hoping to create a lame bucket list, but it happens more often than you think.
Many people buy into the hype of a location or activity and romanticize the experience. However, they find it underwhelming when they finally check the box.
Today, we’re sharing five lame activities you should remove from your plans right this very second.
Let’s get started!
What Is a Bucket List?
A bucket list is a set of activities or accomplishments people want to do or experience before they die. It plays off the phrase “kick the bucket,” which refers to a person dying. It’s a collection of things important to them they hope to accomplish before they drop off the twig.
Bucket lists typically contain travel-related goals or personal accomplishments someone feels they can maximize their limited time on earth. The hope is that people will live well-rounded and complete life by accomplishing these goals. They’ll have positive memories and experiences to share with others and reflect on when their days on earth are coming to an end.
Benefits of Having a Bucket List
We think it’s essential to have a bucket list for many reasons. Let’s look at a handful of the benefits you can enjoy from creating your own.
Helps You to Know What You Want
With only so much time on this earth, you don’t want to waste any doing things you feel don’t matter. Creating a bucket list can help you evaluate what you feel is essential. The process can help you to know what you want to get out of life and avoid wasting time on unimportant aspects.
Like an archer, every adventurer needs a target. A bucket list can help adventurers spend their time and money on the things they value and appreciate. While some things may seem significant, when you stop and think about them, they may not be as important to you as you initially thought. That’s why you must take your time crafting your goals and allow some flexibility for what ends up on your list.
Can Be A Source of Motivation
Having a set of goals you want to accomplish throughout your life can be incredibly motivating. Many people thrive off having a list to help keep them inspired over the long haul. It only gets better once you start checking things off. Marking off a box can be an exciting experience, encouraging you to begin organizing and planning the next adventure.
Some bucket list items can require large sums of money to accomplish. However, having a goal can help motivate you to save money and adjust your spending to fund the adventure. Keeping your eyes on the prize can serve as a long-term motivation to keep going and working towards your dreams.
Provides a Sense of Accomplishment
It’s hard to beat the feeling of accomplishment when you can complete a significant achievement. A bucket list can contain several vital experiences and dreams you think are essential.
People often feel tremendous pride in themselves when they reach their goals. If you want that sense of accomplishment, create a fun, non-lame bucket list and start checking things off.
Can Keep You Dreaming
Sometime between the transition from childhood into adulthood, many people lose their imagination. However, having the ability to imagine can help you to dream of infinite ideas and inspire you to do great things. Creating a bucket list can help you to keep dreaming of possibilities and avoid settling for mediocrity.
When you’re able to dream, you have a sense of hope. If things aren’t going as planned, you can hope for a brighter tomorrow. You can look at the items on your list and picture yourself doing whatever particular goal you have. Dreaming up new ideas and innovating keeps us moving and progressing.
Pushes You Out of Your Comfort Zone
One of the worst things we can do is get too comfortable. Comfortable people typically don’t want to change or challenge themselves. However, those who put themselves in uncomfortable situations tend to stretch and grow.
Getting out of your comfort zone can feel awkward or cause anxiety, but it can be tremendously beneficial. What you can accomplish by pushing yourself into an uncomfortable situation or scenario may surprise you.
5 Lame Bucket List Activities
Because you can’t possibly accomplish everything, you need to be picky about the things include. Whether it’s because they’re a waste of time, energy, or money, we’ve found five lame bucket list activities that you should avoid. Let’s take a look!
Swim with Dolphins
The idea of jumping into a pool and swimming with dolphins sounds fun. However, you’re jumping into the natural habitat of a wild animal. They’re powerful and capable enough of killing sharks and other creatures they see as a threat. If the dolphin has some reason to suspect or feels you’re a threat, you could be seriously injured.
In addition, society has come to view these paid animal encounters as overly negative experiences. Some businesses don’t treat dolphins with the love and compassion they deserve. By supporting these businesses, you’re also supporting their mistreatment of these creatures.
On top of that, many people who swim with dolphins find the entire experience less than thrilling. The water often contains bacteria and waste. Is this the type of water you want to swim in? Likely not!
Visiting Disneyland or Disney World
More than 50 million people visit Mickey and his friends each year. However, the “House of Mouse” can be anything but a magical experience. Those millions of visitors come expecting to live out childhood fantasies and memories and find one disappointment after another.
Visiting Disney World and Disneyland is a much different situation than what the marketing campaigns make it seem. For many guests, it’s more like they’re at the DMV and not the happiest place on earth because they stand in line waiting for every ride or attraction.
The entire experience is less than magical, especially considering the absurd amount of money you’re paying. It all adds up to a lame addition to your bucket list.
Pro Tip: We compared the differences between Disneyland vs Disney World to help you know what to expect from the two.
Fly in a Hot Air Balloon
The idea of gently floating through the air in a hot air balloon sounds romantic; however, the experience can be the opposite. The moments of serene peace and quiet as you float above the landscape get frequently interrupted by the propane burners firing hot air up into the balloon. The constant noise can make it hard to enjoy and appreciate the view, especially if you don’t like loud sounds.
While hot air balloons are relatively safe, they can be overwhelming for those who fear heights. In addition, the hard and abrupt stopping when landing can be intense. Baskets tend to fall on their side, resulting in injuries for those inside the basket. Again, they can be peaceful and romantic for brief periods, but the entire f is anything but romantic.
Meet a Famous Celebrity
Many people make it their goal to meet a specific celebrity. However, we strongly recommend scratching this lame idea from your bucket list because people aren’t always how they seem. Just because they seem pleasant in the movies or on TV doesn’t mean that’s who they are in real life.
You could catch your favorite star having a bad day, and they could behave rudely to you. This can be a painful experience and destroy your image of them, especially if you have admired them for a long time.
Celebrities are just ordinary people with unique lifestyles. They have good days and bad days. They experience frustrations, stress, and anger just like anybody else. While meeting a famous person can be fun, it also can be a scarring and damaging experience.
See the Hollywood Walk of Fame
For good or bad, Hollywood is a unique place in the United States. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Los Angeles. However, much like the movies you see on the big screen, it’s not everything it’s cracked up to be. Plus, this lame bucket list goal isn’t safe. And we don’t mean in a fun way like skydiving.
The area surrounding this popular tourist destination is unfortunately covered with trash and overrun with homeless individuals. It can be extremely overwhelming to try to walk down the sidewalks. The last thing you want in this area is to be distracted looking for a star on the sidewalk.
Pro Tip: We took a closer look at 5 Reasons to Avoid the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
How Do You Make a Bucket List?
Making a bucket list can be challenging, especially if you don’t want it to be lame. You must focus on what brings you the most joy when making your list. It’s a good idea to grab a notepad and start jotting down ideas and possibilities for your list. However, remember that your list should be flexible and allow yourself to adjust it as needed.
Think through somewhat attainable items. Many people dream of walking on the moon, but only a dozen or so have. So adding “walk on the moon” is bound to end in disappointment.
We strongly suggest only sharing your life goals with trusted individuals. You’ll find many negative people and naysayers in this world that will try to stomp out your dreams. There’s no room for negativity when it comes to you achieving your life goals. If someone can’t get behind the goals you have for your life, they’re nothing more than a hurdle that you need to put behind you.
Don’t Have a Lame Bucket List
Will every task or experience be as grand as you expect it to be? Likely not. But the last thing you want to do is to create a bucket list full of lame items.
We’ve all experienced the disappointment of looking forward to something and then realizing it’s not nearly as incredible as we had anticipated. However, if you go into each experience with the right attitude and expectations, you can check off each item on your bucket list and grow along the way. Just make it something that makes sense for your personality, and you won’t be disappointed.
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