I was having a conversation the other day with a few people about life in general and the topic come up about how many people don’t follow up with ideas, desires, their passions etc. One of the group said “Don’t die wondering”. I really like that term and makes more sense to me than having a bucket list. I have only come cross that term, bucket list, recently and to tell the truth I don’t like it. I mean, think about it – “bucket”. What do you think of when you hear that word? To me it conjures up images of housework, vomit (sick bucket), dirty water, chook food, etc – hmmmmmm………….not very inspiring.
I thought about don’t die wondering and it excited me more than having a list (bucket or no bucket). Having a list may suit some people but to me it makes it too much like a “should”, too restrictive. There are plenty of experiences out there that I don’t even know exist yet. My desires change over time and the things I liked and wanted to do many years ago have changed; they are no longer important to me. Having a list and abiding by it may mean losing opportunities to do other things that can be more exciting or memorable.
The beauty of the Don’t Die Wondering philosophy is that when an opportunity arises, maybe something you had never thought of, you can decide if that is something you’d like to experience. Is it something that if you don’t do, you’d die wondering “what would it have been like?”
The other benefit is that there is no expectation – that it does not have to be a success so to speak. If it doesn’t turn out the way you thought, it doesn’t matter – you did it anyway, just for the sheer experience. I came across a blog recently where the writer talked about having a bucket list of things they NEVER want to try. She got that idea from another blogger.
That method can work well too, it means that if an opportunity comes up and it is NOT on that list, give it a go anyway.
So, pick which philosophy fits you and see what can happen. Whichever one you chose, have fun with it 
