Not Just About the Bucket

Have you ever given any thought to the phrase "I have a new lease on life"? Probably not, so now's the time. A lease. That is a fairly accurate way of describing the nano second of time we have here on Earth. And we are forever abusing our time. We steal it, lose it, waste it, try to manipulate it so we can eek more out of it, but we forget to respect it, appreciate it, make the most of it. Well, there is no time like the present, you have the ability to change that, so stop cheating it, and start living it.

It's a new year and it's only natural to feel inclined to set new goals, make drastic changes, a list of resolutions. You have every intention of fulfilling every single one of those resolutions, but let's face it, you'll be lucky to get a third into that list before you let your mundane life get in the way. You'll slip back into a monotonous routine because you're too damn scared to stand up to yourself, and demand better. Stop. Sit down, and calculate how many hours on average you spent on your behind in front of the television last year, unable to will yourself into doing something more productive, more exciting, thrilling even? Enough! It's time to earn yourself a little life merit scholarship. Time to get out there. Unless you are one of the incredibly fortunate few who actually adore their 9-5, it's time to break the mundane, and catapult yourself out of your comfort zone.

Bucket lists are not a new phenomena, and with the influence of globalization, the world has become incredibly accessible to a greater percentage of the global population. Traveling has never been easier (for those who can afford it). Within mere seconds, an individual in Johannesburg can chat with someone in Bangkok. If you are lucky enough to live in a big North American city, you can dine on cuisines from Namibia to Bali. So why aren't you out there tasting, sampling, gallivanting even? Stop making lists about making lists, get out there!

Your Bucket List doesn't have to include illusions of grandeur. Going on safari up the Skeleton Coast, or spending an afternoon dishing it up with Gordon Ramsey in one of his swanky London restaurants may not be an attainable, nor affordable option for you, hell, that may not even interest you. Your list can be as small as learning to run a 5km run without stopping, or maybe you want to learn to knit, and you don't think all the guys at pub are going to think you're so slick. Or maybe you want to go back to school! You are never too old to further educate yourself, so why not check out a fine establishment like Boston University Online and get yourself the career you truly wanted, instead of the one you settled for.

Sara McKinninmont, Owner of Eager-Beaver.com

For many of us, life is about choices. And if you're just wasting it, slugging along at a job you hate, eating food your dog wouldn't eat, plunking your tired rear end in front of the television every night while your brain wastes away, snap out of it! Erase that old list, and write a new one, a personal proclamation to live by. As a very good friend of mine always says, it's time to start living like you give a damn!